Rush
by keeper37
Summary: Fox and Krystal have lived comfortable lives on their reserve funds but when financial strain becomes to much, something has to be done. Fox decides to team up with an interesting group of characters to 'solve' his money problems. Story involves a slew of characters from different games. On hiatus - may continue later.
1. Prologue I

Rush

Prologue I

Since Fox McCloud's retirement and marriage to Krystal, they have been living off the payments of the two's treks as mercenaries across the Lylat. In the meantime and to make ends meet, Fox has been working as a gunsmith, in a sort of ways, by designing and engineering new weaponry for the Army while Krystal has recently picked up a job at a day care for children of a variety of ages where the two's child Marcus, of age seven, attends during the summer.

They have so far lived confortable lives as middle class citizens but their reserve of funds are running out and their two low paying jobs are not only not enough to sustain their family once their funds run out, but also are putting some strain on the relationships of the family.

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

To be honest, I did not think this would end up happening. At least not this quickly. I think it was like yesterday or something I said I came up with the idea? Well it has been eating away at me and I already have a very basic background synopsis (Above), a small little teaser that I will either post tomorrow or right after I post this, and 3000+ words into the first chapter.

This is the heist story I was talking about in my profile. It will be a bit of a crossover but not in the normal sense. It will really only have characters from different games/genres (not only Fox and Shadow, but that's all I'm saying. I don't want to give it all away) and a few cahracters of my own but it will take place in a completely neutral setting without giving favor to any game.

Very fictiony as, other than background info, it doesn't go along with any canon of any game at all.


	2. Prologue II

Rush

Prologue II

Fox was standing outside the Hilltops Bank. The large pillars looked like parallel trees holding up a stone canopy. The stairs were made of marble and between each set was a lion statue with a paw resting on a ball. But none of this was of any relevance to him. In fact, he had made the walk up to the large wooden doors so many times, he didn't even notice the extravagant details of the building's structure. This was in fact his own bank. He leaned on the car of one of his teammates with his signature aviator sunglasses and a cigarette. He didn't inhale the stick; he wasn't the smoking type, but he had to look inconspicuous, and apparently a bit cliché but he didn't care. He looked across the way and saw a small female jackal get out of a cab and walk up the stairs of the bank. For only half a second, the two seemed to have made eye contact but it could have just as easily been a coincidence as she heard a ruckus and turned her head in his direction. But Fox knew what it really was before she turned his way. He dropped the lit cig and began walking. For the moment, he was just another person in the crowd of drones making their daily commutes. The honks of the cabs in the street and the roar from the busses and occasional heavy personally owned SUV were just white noise to an unsuspecting neighborhood.

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Hope this at least got your attention. The first bit of the story will kind of be a bit slow and dramatized as everything needs to be set into place but I assure you this story will be filled with action, suspense, humor, and everyone's favorite form of organized crime.

Also, did anyone get a character reference from my only other 'big' piece of fanfiction? haha, I hope so. and if so, you know what that means :D

ps. This is NOT the beginning of the story, just a little teaser


	3. Ch:1 Working Man: Middle Class Life

**Author's Note:**

Well, I even surprised myself with this one. Whipped this out in about two days and it doesn't suck!

I've decided to separate each chapter into different parts so here is the first part of chapter one. Like I said in my previous author's note, a bit dramatized but hoepfully you don't mind for this one.

Soooooo...was going to wait a few days before I posted this, but I couldn't wait. :D

Enjoy, and as always REVIEW! -I can't emphasize that enough. I MUST improve.

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><p><span>Rush<span>

Chapter 1: Working Man

Part 1: Middle Class Life

"What do you mean, _you didn't get my payment_?" An aggravated Fox shouted to the handset of his landline telephone. The other end of the phone buzzed with the chatter of the unfortunate soul on the other end. "Declined?" Fox shouted again, baring his teeth and growling slightly.

Fox was in the kitchen, pacing back and forth whilst being tied down by the phone cord running from him to the wall, trying to sort out more financial troubles. The white porcelain tiles reverberated a soft 'slap' with every step of the angry vulpine's bare feet. The residence of the McCoulds wasn't a big one but it wasn't small either. Two stories was a good enough standard for any house but the upstairs consisted of only Fox and Krystal's room, Marcus's room and a bathroom. Down stairs, the Kitchen was attached directly to the dining room and a living room which caused the three rooms to create a full circle where one could walk from room to room. There was only one bathroom on this level as well. Their Master Bathroom was almost too small to be considered a bathroom but the Jacuzzi bathtub they had installed shortly after moving in made up for the cramped space.

At this time Fox took a seat at the breakfast table in the kitchen and continuously was tapping his fingertips just livid that he was down another multi-hundred dollar payment. Marcus was in his own world in the dining room, playing with a train and a model Arwing on the soft white carpet and Krystal was off getting groceries. "Uh huh. Yup." Fox passive-aggressively made small nippy responses to try and hurry up the phone call. He was done with the bundler on the other line and just wanted the call to be over. "Yeah. Yes, well…. Ok." He quickly hung up the phone once the conversation was done. He let out a heavy sigh and rubbed his eyes with his fingers.

The world slowly came back to him as he heard his son make a child's impression of the sound of an explosion. He looked over and saw him with the Arwing in his hand, making it swoop down over the train, swooshing sounds included, as if gunning it down or dropping a bomb. He made another explosion sound and flung his arms in the air. This put a smile on Fox's face as it reminded him of the time his team destroyed a freight train on Macbeth that was harboring one of Andross's Bioweapons during his first excursion against Andross' forces. The only difference was that Fox was in the Landmaster and not an Arwing.

He got up from the chair and pushed it aside to allow him to get out from the table easier. He slowly moved over to Marcus and squatted down to his level. "Whatcha doing?"

"Playing." The cub said innocently, still focused on the scene that was enveloped in his imagination. Fox adjusted to sitting on the floor next to him and watched him for a moment long with the same content smile on his muzzle.

After a moment, he moved in and grabbed hold of the train and began making childish mechanical sounds. He lifted a back hatch on the tail end of the train engine. "I didn't expect I'd have to use this." Fox said in an obviously mock menacing tone. "Oh no, it's the secret weapon!" Fox playfully sounded off.

Marcus smiled. "That's no problem for Marcus McCloud!" He said as he made another swooshing sound and drew the Arwing in his hand back down over the train. He made a sound that was supposed to be lasers firing but ended up sounding like 'chu chu chu.'

"Nooooo!" Fox made the same voice as he did earlier as he then made the fake explosion sound while Marcus continued to have the Arwing 'fly' around making more laser sounds.

*o*

"Hmm… Peanut But…. Soap…." Krystal mumbled under her breath as she ran through a small list help up in her paw while pushing a cart full of boxes and cans and bags down a grocery isle. "Casserole mix…Skitt, wait, Skittles?" She puzzled as she pulled her head back a bit. She couldn't help but grin at the horrible hand writing of her sever year old as he tried to sneakily throw some candy on her shopping list. "Well, it's on the list." She said casually, not being completely serious but made sure to grab a bag while in the check-out counter.

As she made her way to the cash register, she passed a familiar feline staring at the ice cream freezer, rubbing her pregnant stomach. "Katt?" She turned her head revealing her other paw was rubbing her chin in contemplation.

"Krystal?"

"Oh my god, how are you? Long time no see."

"I'll say! I'm good, how are you?" She answered back with just as much enthusiasm as her old friend.

"Good. Just stopping by for some groceries." Krystal responded pointing her eyes in the direction of her obviously overloaded cart.

Katt let out a sympathizing huff. "Been there." She redirected her attention back toward the ice cream. "I swear, ever since this thing has been growing inside me, I've had this unquenchable craving for ice cream…" She trailed off as she thought for a moment longer before opening up the freezer and pulled out a Ben and Jerry's pint sized personal serving.

Krystal had never tried Ben and Jerry's but she has heard Marcus talk about having it at a friend house. "You know, I think I'll bring home some ice cream for the boys as well." She said cheerfully. She reached out for the normal cheap 'Great Value' brand but stopped. She let out a sigh before looking back up at Katt. Without looking back at the freezer, she pulled out a Ben and Jerry's quart size and placed it in her cart.

"So how far are you?"

"Too far if you ask me." She said, not waiting to open the pint sized treat as she stuck a finger in the cup, using it as a spoon. "It should be ready to pop out by the end of summer."

"Well that's good." She paused a moment, trying to think of something to keep the conversation going. "I've never seen you here, do you come often?"

"No. Was just driving by and the craving got the best of me." She said with a bit of a chuckle as she stuck her finger back into the soft serve dairy product and brought it up to her mouth to consume.

Krystal let a small giggle arise from her throat as she moved closer to the check-out. "Well I better get going. Dinner's not going to be cooking itself." She said as she grabbed a bag of Skittles and threw them in the cart.

"Alright. Well it was nice to see you again!" Katt smiled. Krystal smiled back in response as she turned back toward her groceries. "Hey Krys?" She turned back around. "We should get together sometime for dinner or something. Catch up a bit."

Krystal replaced her smile. "That sounds wonderful." Katt stuck another finger full of ice cream in her mouth as she turned away to check out her purchase as well.

Krystal arrived back at her house soon after and somehow managed to walk through the door with a bag of groceries in each hand. How they managed to fit all her items in two bags even amazed her. She came in and saw Fox next to their son laughing at one of Marcus' kid's shows. She smiled a bit before calling to them. "I'm home." The two simultaneously turned their head and cocked them slightly to look over the top of the couch as if they were expecting someone other than Krystal to call out to the house that she was home.

"Go help your mother with the groceries." Fox said as he tapped Marcus on the back a couple times.

"Okay." He said a bit reluctantly but still quickly got off the couch and dashed over to his mother and grabbed a bag. He could hardly carry one of them in both hands but somehow was able to and waddled over to the kitchen to put the bag's contents away.

"Got everything for dinner?" Fox asked as he placed an arm and an elbow on top of the back end of the couch to help pivot his body so he could face his wife more.

"Ah yes! Skittles!" Marcus shouted out of sight from inside the kitchen.

Fox chuckled a bit. "I guess so."

"Not before dinner honey!" Krystal called out.

"The bank called. Said they didn't get the last mortgage payment." Fox said a bit more solemnly.

"Shit." Kyrstal said with a complete change of mood as she nearly dropped the last bag of groceries in a nearby chair in an attempt to set it down gently. "So how far does that put us?"

"Another few hundred."

"Damn it." She said quieter as she ran her paw through her hair.

"If I was on hourly pay instead of salary, we should be able to cover that." He hinted with a bit of aggravation as he normally complained about that fact. He never gets paid for overtime.

"Yeah, you're telling me with how late you work." Krystal chimed in with the aggravation.

"Well it's not like I'm the only hard worker there." Fox stated sarcastically.

"Sorry. It's just you usually don't get back until it's practically Marcus' bedtime."

"Well I got off early today didn't I?" He responded with a bit of a shout.

"Yes, and I'm glad you did. We haven't had a decent dinner together in a while." Krystal said at first ignoring Fox's tone then joined in with an annoyed one of her own.

This time it was Fox's turn to ignore his spouse's tone. He walked over to the last bag and picked it up but before even taking another step toward the kitchen, he saw the Ben and Jerry's. He put the bag down and pulled it out. "What's with this?" He said puzzled. He looked at the box long enough to read the label and look at the price tag. "Six bucks?" His curious and shocked eyes shifted toward Krystal. "Did you have a coupon?"

"No, I just thought–"

Fox let out a huff and turned his head away almost like a flinch. "This stuff is expensive. What's wrong with the regular stuff?" His voice turned back aggressive.

"Nothing, I just ran into–" She said raising the pitch of her voice and trying to sound a bit innocent but it wasn't good enough as Fox cut her off again.

"We need to save whatever we can."

"Oh come one Fox! Like two more dollars is going to be much of a difference!" She didn't notice but she was at a soft yell now.

"Mom? Dad? You're not fighting are you?" Marcus said shyly as he stood in the doorway of kitchen and living room.

The two stood frozen for a bit, wide eyed. Fox was the first to drop his expression and sighed causing his ears to unperk and drop a bit. "Not at all son. Just... a disagreement." He said comfortingly as he pick up both his son and the other bag of groceries and walked into the kitchen. Krystal then dropped her expression and plopped down on the couch, releasing a heavy sigh. She reached for the remote, needing to change the channel from Marcus' show as she has seen it way to many times.

"Cut your debt in half! One simple phone call could change your life!" The television shouted.

Krystal smiled with a light humored grin. "Yeah, if only it was that easy."

Dinner time was approaching and Krystal was busy trying to perfect her casserole. Fox, in the meantime, was still playing with Marcus. The last thing she remembered, they were playing catch in the back yard. She didn't mind he was spending time with their son. In fact, she was pretty happy he was; that was one of the main reasons he got off work early today. He either never had time to play or came home too late to make much of a difference. But a bit of her wished he would spend time with her as well. She never really got to see him often during the day and was usually too tired to do much in the evenings. Not only that, they haven't been out for a weekend dinner in almost a year. Since their recent financial troubles, they have been fighting more. She knew it was nothing more than the ordinary married couple's disputes but she hated how they weren't as close as they were when they first met or when she rejoined the team. She continued to let her mind wander and sighed in amongst her thoughts.

Not too long after however, her nose twitched. She snapped back with a bit of a shock. "The casserole!" She quickly moved to the oven where she threw down the door releasing a bit of smoke. She pulled it out and quickly smacked it down on the counter as a response to the heat, all the while forgetting about the hole in her oven mitts. The small burn wasn't bad but it just took her by surprise. "Do we have _anything_ new around here?" She pondered as she took off the old mitt. She looked down at the casserole. It was a bit blacked on the edges and a bit darkened in the center but luckily it was not completely ruined. Just a bit….crispy. She opened up the backdoor next to the kitchen and called out to her boys. "Dinner's ready!"

Soon after, they came into the house and dropped their ball gloves next to the door. "Smells good honey." Fox said as she gave her a small peck on the cheek. She smiled not sure if the slight burnt tint of the main course was noticeable or not. The two boys sat down at the kitchen table. They usually only used the fancier dining room table for certain occasions and parties. It was just one more of the gilded furnishes that was used to make the impression of a higher lifestyle. Fox was the first to scoop out some of the grub. He soon slapped some on Marcus' plate before continuing to dish out his own sides. The boy soon followed by serving himself the smaller sides.

"Careful, it's hot." Krystal warned as Fox stuck a fork full into his mouth. Immediately after closing his mouth, he threw it back open to let the food cool as it was now balanced on his mandibles to keep from burning his tongue or the roof of his mouth. A moment or two later, he deemed it cool enough to chew and moved on to do so. "So how was work?" She asked, hating how their best dinner time conversation was simple small talk.

"Good. Short which is what I'm not used to." Fox said casually. He too hated how that was the best he could come up with as a response. "We did some testing on the X-72 Carbine today."

"Oh?"

"Yup. Sadly, the wall behind the target wasn't strong enough." He explained as Marcus chuckled a bit. "Need to tune it down a bit unless we want the rounds to go on forever."

"Now, that's the upgrade from the X-22 Automatic that was standard during the Aparoid invasion right?" Now they were getting somewhere. Krystal couldn't help but smile as she thought, what other family would be talking about this over dinner? Not only that, she loved reminiscing about the old, more adrenaline-rushed days.

Fox smiled back, catching the small one his wife let out. "Yeah. Except this is a burst semi-auto version. The bursts give it better accuracy but recently, it's been firing too hot and acting like a miniature cannon with every shot."

"Why would that be a bad thing?" Marcus chimed in.

Both Fox and Krystal gave out some light-humored huffs. "Well, normally it's not. But these rifles are intended to be used to subdue an assailant. Not blow him to bits." Fox explained. "The main forces that are looking at the X-72 are infiltration and policing forces so that they can use them against enemies who they wish to capture or interrogate rather than take out." He figured much of what he was saying was far over his son's head but he couldn't find a simpler way to explain it. Besides, he was a smart kid and with all the video game he played, he figured he'd have at least an idea of what he was talking about. He turned his direction toward Krystal. "So what about you?"

She knew without even reading his mind that Fox didn't mean for his comment to make such an impact, but she couldn't help but feel a bit depressed how he still had at least a bit of excitement in his daily life while she just watched over a bunch of toddlers and younger children like a grown-up babysitter.

"Good. We had a bit of a problem with one of the younger children's baby doll strollers. The wheel came off and she would not stop crying. But Marc came over a fixed it for her."

"Oh well that was nice of him." Fox said as he smiled at his son.

He obviously didn't think so, due to his sigh and the rolling of his eyes. "Why do I have to keep going over there anyway? I'm too old to be stuck with all those kids all day." He said with a pucker.

"Ohhh, I know sweetie." Krystal said as she rubbed his hand a bit. "But you know it's just for the summer and it's much easier to take you to work with me. And who knows, maybe next summer you won't need to be there." She finished optimistically.

"Didn't you say that last year?" The boy said staring at his plate as he spun his fork around in circles causing a small divot in his potatoes.

"Yeah, but this time I mean it." She tried to reassure her statement with a smile. It only half worked as Marcus looked up at her without moving his head, still pointed down at his food. He looked back at his plate and scoped up some potatoes and shoved them in his mouth. "Besides, there's that Catherine girl. She's not too much younger than you. And at least you're not there every day like some of the kids. I let you stay at some friend's house sometimes." She said.

"I guess." The child said with unwilling acceptance.

"Now hurry and finish you're veggies so we can dive into that ice cream." Krystal said in one last attempt to cheer up her son, which thankfully worked. His ears perked up and his eyes grew. Soon enough, he was digging into the rest of the meal on his plate.

It was getting late into the night as the McCould family was sitting around the television, watching the day die. Fox was sitting by himself on a love seat while Krystal was sitting on the couch with a sleeping Marcus resting his head on her lap. She constantly ran her fingers, almost in a way of petting him, through the tuft on his head and past his right ear causing it to flap with every passing finger. Two empty ice cream bowls were sitting on the coffee table between the two sets of furniture with the cream of the melted treat in the bottom of the bowls and a small ring of water from the condensing bowls underneath them. Krystal didn't indulge in the dessert as she wished to keep herself fit and by skipping out on Pilates earlier in the day, she didn't feel like she had earned the sugary treat.

But that was the least of her concerns. Her mind was still focused on what happened earlier that day with their payment. Normally she did not like to worry about their finances but recently they have been having more and more trouble and it has been causing some tensions between the two. Today was nothing, today was a good day. Maybe it was since Fox was spending most of his day with Marcus that they only had one small quarrel, if you would even call it that. Usually they argued at least two or three times in the short time they saw each other after work and it was usually about money: they needed to take their car to the shop for a small mechanical problem that somehow mounded up to a few hundred dollars, Fox worked overtime again but couldn't get any pay from it since he was on a salary and not hourly pay, Marcus' schooling, even the occasional times their 'dinner' consisted of fast-food take out because they could only manage to spend a few dollars for food. Once again, Krystal knew he was not mad at her but mad at their situation.

She looked over at her husband as he stared blankly at the television. She tried to read his thoughts but over the few years they have been together, he has developed a good defense against her intrusions even if he wasn't focusing on blocking her out. It was for the best of both of them as they knew, but there were a few times a long time ago, back when they didn't have so much worries, that he would intentionally let his guard down so she could play around in his head and mess with him, including the occasional embarrassment, just so they could laugh and have fun at the little things. She let out a sigh, missing those better times. Now most of their focus was not on enjoying life but on the bills to pay and the mouths to feed.

A similar commercial to the one Krystal saw earlier appeared on the television, talking about debt control. Even though she still could not breach the confides of his mind at the moment, she was pretty good at reading the expressions of others and as the commercial continued its rant about eliminating debt, she had found in Fox's mind what she was hoping to find. She was waiting for Fox's mind to get back on money, not so that he could worry again, but so that she wouldn't ruin the moment as they haven't just sat quietly together in a while. But finally she brought it up.

"So what are we going to do about this last payment?" She asked still a bit cautiously as she knew it was the least thing they wanted to discuss at the moment. But it had to be brought up sometime.

Fox exhaled deeply as he closed his eyes a bit longer than a standard blink. "Well we're getting in too deep." He paused. "I wanted to avoid this but I've been thinking for a few weeks, we need to take out another credit loan on the house." He refused to look at his wife for fear of seeing the discomfort his statement might have caused her. He opened up his mind slightly to let her see he was concerned for both of them and was thinking what was best for their family. He had no idea if she caught his little thought but he didn't care. He finally turned toward her, knowing he couldn't avoid the inevitable and was glad to see understanding in her face. Her lips curled into a slight smile. Fox assumed she got his little subliminal message. He gave her a larger smile in return and got up, walking toward her. He stopped in front of her and picked Marcus up, cradling him in his arms as he walked off and carried him off to bed. "We can discuss it another time." He said, trying to avoid any conflicts. He hasn't had a day this good in a while and he didn't want to ruin it by having another argument.

He walked up the narrow stairwell sideways so that he wouldn't ram Marcus' head into the wall or side rail and turned toward the kit's room once he got to the top. He gently laid him down on his bed and began walking out. He turned back to take one last look at his son, like any good father would, as he slowly closed the squeaky door. He turned around and jumped a little as he saw Krystal standing right behind him. She smiled and giggled a little at his reaction. Fox huffed and shook it off, grinning all the while.

"Scared you didn't I?"

"What gave you that impression?" Fox said sarcastically, causing Krystal to shrug her shoulders and cock her eyes a bit telling him a similar sarcastic 'I don't know' in body language. She placed her hand on the wall next to Fox's head as soon as his mouth opened with the words, "I'm pretty tired." It was just bad timing. "I've got a lot of work tomorrow so I think I'm going to hit the hay." He said, turning toward their room and completely missing Krystal's intended message by a long shot. She didn't move as he flicked on the light to their bedroom. Her smile slowly faded from her face as her hand dropped from the wall.

She figured she might as well get to bed as well so she shut everything down downstairs and turned off the lights from the living room to the kitchen where the stairwell lights were obviously the last to get attended to. She got ready for bed pretty quickly and scooped up the covers of the bed and slipped underneath them as Fox was lying on his side facing away. She figured he was already asleep but couldn't help but think; it was a pretty good day. It might not have seemed like it, especially with the lack of excitement as nothing really went on, but it was the best they've had in a while at least. Maybe Fox should get off work earlier more often, she thought. But then their financial problems came back into her mind. Her good feeling about the day ended as quick as it had arrived and she closed her eyes and turned on her side to sleep. Her eyes just couldn't stay shut for more than a few moments as she lay there. She didn't even notice she was facing Fox's back side as they both liked to sleep on their left side. A faint but content smile gently rested on her face as she moved her right arm over Fox's and let it dangle across his chest.

"I'd prefer it if I was the one cuddling with you." Fox said without moving. Krystal had no idea he was awake but that just made her a bit happier. He rolled over to his right side and wrapped his arms around her and they both drifted off to into content slumber. It was just another day in the middle-class lifestyle.

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><p>A bit cute and boring, I know. I hope you liked the detail though. I've reverted to my older style of writing from years back where I would vividly describe everything in way too much detail. I've toned it down but I figure I need to give better pictures.<p>

Like I said, just the first chapter but it was get less bland as the story develops. I have high hopes for this one :D

not only that...

REVIEW!


	4. Ch:1 Working Man: Lives Set Apart

**Author's Note:**

Here is part two of Chapter 1. Still a bit dramatized but technically, it is still the first chapter :P

I'm going to start placing the A/N after the chapter so that I won't give anything away. I don't have anything to give away right now but I figure I better start now before I have something to spoil.

Remember, **REVIEW** and **ENJOY!**

* * *

><p><span>Rush<span>

Chapter 1: Working Man

Part 2: Lives Set Apart

It was around mid-day and inside a downtown apartment, a mother and her two children were just sitting down for lunch. They had prepared sandwiches and somehow the mother had taught her kids proper etiquette but more impressively, they followed it because they didn't even touch their silverware until their mother had sat down as well. The children waited for their mother to begin eating and once they did, that was their cue that they too could indulge in their lunch. Meer small talk was all that filling the air around the table, other than the light scents of mustard and mayonnaise. But shortly into one of their conversations, they stopped and looked up as they heard a peculiar 'thud' on their rooftop. Dismissing it as one of the many sounds of urban lifestyle, they continued eating.

Up on the rooftop of the apartment, a black and red hedgehog slowly got up from a daring jump from the rooftop of a taller nearby apartment complex. He recoiled a bit and mumbled under his breath, "That one kind of hurt." as his lips curled back to a serious leer and he dusted off one of the knees of his jeans. Once he got back up, he began running and jumped from the top of that building to the next.

"Hey, get back here!" The hedgehog heard someone shout from street level. Assuming it was a cop, he just ignored it. Of course, he wouldn't have listened no matter who called out to him. He came to the other side of the rooftop and saw the gap was too big for him to jump. He quickly swiveled around the ledge of the roof and grabbed hold of a drainage pipe that was attached to the wall of the building. He used only the point of his shoes to keep grip with the wall as his hands clung to the bindings that were keeping the pipe attached to the building.

"He went this way!" He heard another voice, most likely the first cop's partner.

The hedgehog crawled down the pipe. He was thankful he had gloves on because there were a few screws that must have loosened up a bit. He came across an open window and swung his weight toward it a bit, then toward the opposite direction, then back toward it to gather some momentum for the jump. He managed to grab the window sill after his undershirt revealing opened button long-sleeve flapped in his way in the wind, and quickly hopped into the apartment. Judging by the dim lighting and lack of activity in the place, he figured the residents were out. "Lucky me." He staked out a few moments before hearing what he was waiting to hear. Down the hallway, he could hear door knocks and whispers of tiny smidges of one-lined question and answer sessions. The dynamic duo that was the two cops who were chasing him for a few blocks now were almost to the room he was camping out in.

Though the cops were smart enough to track down the room he was in by checking the windows from the outside, he could outsmart them any day. Standard procedure for an event like the scenario he was in. Determine which room he entered by counting the floors and windows: check. The hedgehog peered over the window to see a hound in blue uniform staring at the very same window he was looking out of. The cop calmly raised his radio to his mouth and said something, probably something about how he just looked out of the window. Have someone posted outside in case he tried to leave the same way he came in: check. Close off the entrance to the building so he couldn't leave that way: check. Storm the complex and breach the suspect's room. The hedgehog let out a mischievous grin as he heard the cops outside the apartment door begin to count slowly down from three. Check. Subdue the suspect and take him into custody. Sadly, their checklist was going to be left incomplete.

The two pig cops stood outside the door with blasters in hands, pointed down at the ground in ready position. "This is the room." One of them whispered. The other nodded to signify he understood and was ready. "Three. Two. One!" He said as his partner kicked down the door. They entered the room rapidly with their blasters pointed straight out in front of them, all the while shouting things like "You're under arrest!" and "Freeze!" "There's no use trying to escape!" But they were shouting to an empty room.

"Check the rooms." One said calmly trying to keep focused on finding the culprit. They parted and checked every room, closet, and bathroom. The partner even minded to open the fridge but they found no one.

"Suspect is nowhere to be seen." One of the officered spoke into his radio that was positioned on his shoulder.

"Did you get the guy?" A voice cracked back as if he completely didn't hear the previous statement.

"Negative. We lost him." He answered back with a disappointed tone.

About a block away, an unusually colored hedgehog was walking away casually. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a few diamonds. Another rascally grin grew on his face as he replaced them in his pocket. As he was imagining the faces of the two pigs that were after him once they realized they lost him, he accidently bumped into a blue fox wearing sunglasses that was walking by. She apologized but the hedgehog didn't respond any as he just kept on walking.

*o*

It was another extremely long day as Andrew Seamus Whelan threw open the already busted door to his studio apartment. It was a rundown place but it was cheap so he didn't complain. The wall had peeling paint above the radiator which did a terrible job at controlling the moisture it created. The wolf tossed his keys on the old sink that was next to the door and they accidently slipped into the bowl but he didn't seem to care. He took the few extra steps to his bed and fell face down on it. He let out a heavy sigh as he rolled over a bit and reached down to the mini fridge that sat next to his bed. He reached in a bit farther and pulled out a Killian's. He used the edge of the headboard to his bed as a bottle opener and the cap fell off with ease. It was apparent he had practiced many times to perfect the procedure as a few dents and scratches lined the same area of the headboard from times he was not so successful. He sat up and took a deep gulp of the lager. Once he finally pulled the bottle away from his muzzle, he held it limply between his legs and looked around.

It was his normal daily routine; come back from work, plop on his bed which acted as a couch as well seeing how his apartment was too small to fit both, grab a brew of some kind and ponder about how this was his life. He had always been poor and just looked at it like it was an inevitable circumstance rather than an unfortunate situation. This was his seventh month in the tenement and he was working every day except for Sundays. He was glad though that he had a steady income, despite how small it was. It was better than working part-time, or not working at all. He figured he'd have to live at the shelter if he didn't have a full time job.

He continued to think about his situation, how much longer he'd have until something good happens in his life, and how long until he got to a point where he won't have to live in a shithole just because that's all he could afford. But he was tough and could persevere through this rough lifestyle that he was so accustomed to.

He finally dismissed the thoughts as he grabbed the remote and turned to face the television. He clicked the power button a few times but nothing happened. He began to press harder and harder until he threw down the piece of plastic and got up to turn on the TV manually. It snapped on with a brilliant flash before the picture faded in. It constantly fuzzed in and out as he was fiddling with the tuner to get the best picture quality, which was still a joke compared to more modern sets. Once he got the picture set, he flipped through the channels until finding something good and sat back down on his bed, taking another swig from his bottle.

A few minutes later, he got a call on his cell. He couldn't afford both a cell phone bill and a landline so that was the only way to contact him. Not only that, the phone jack was already broken when he moved in. He answered the phone with an emotionless " 'ello."

"Hey, Paddy." Said his manager from the other end of the call. Paddy was his nickname. As if his name wasn't Irish enough, his friends figured they'd call him Paddy due to his obvious heritage. It ended up sticking so that's what he went by. "We need you to come in early tomorrow." Paddy waited for a moment, expecting his manager to continue speaking as to why he needed to come in early but it figured that he didn't say. "Well, Can you?"

He gave out a heavy sigh. As if six A.M. wasn't early enough. "Em, yuh. I kin comb in." He said without passion. He didn't want to, but he needed the money.

"Great. See you at four!" And then there was the hang up.

He sat with the phone still at his ear for a moment of shock. Four? He closed the phone and dropped it. "Fuhck me."

*o*

"I still don't see how you can think otherwise. It's the core stabilizer! I'm sure of it. Look…" A small rat like creature with large ears urged to convince a larger portly rabbit in a maintenance jumpsuit. He kept rubbing a wrench with a dirty cloth as the smaller one walked him over to a small personal atmosphere and low earth orbiter. "With the absence of the pressure equalizer that the lady lost in her accident, the engine couldn't sustain the required 10 kbars of gauge pressure so it ended up over heating the core stabilizer. We've replaced the obviously vacant equalizer, so the stabilizer is the only explanation for why the craft still won't take flight."

The rabbit seemed to be ignoring everything that was being told to him and occasionally would roll his eyes. "Great." He said before walking off causing the smaller to sink a bit.

"Ok. You dumb oaf." The obviously smarter mechanic said as his boss walked off. "I'll just take care of it, no need to strain yourself!" He said, hoping he heard it. He turned back to the craft and began working on fixing it.

The working day was long gone but the woman who owned the personal craft being worked on had offered to pay extra to have it fixed by later that evening so the mechanic shop owner placed Ratchet, who usually worked mornings, on the job to try and get it finished on time. Unfortunately, this was the first time he looked at the craft. If he was placed on the project earlier, the vehicle would have been fixed long ago.

Ratchet was a Lombax, one of the few remaining, and had worked as an underrated amateur mechanic on his home planet and eventually ended up almost completely rebuilding his entire Aphelion class defensive fighter which he still used for inter-solar travel. His skill was unmatched which caused his boss to overly dislike him but he had to put him on the project if he wanted the ship done by the woman's deadline.

"There. That should do it." The lombax said as he stood upright from being hunched over the underside of the engine for a while. He brushed off his hands and jumped into the cockpit. He ran through a simplified preflight checklist, despite how unnecessary it was, before turning it on to see if it would do what it was intended to do. He flipped a few switches and slowly pressed up on the hover panel and with ease, the craft began to float effortlessly above the ground. He smiled as he set the craft down and turned everything off.

He headed over to his boss's office to show him how he managed to fix the problem in record time. As he turned the corner from the work shop to the main office, he saw his boss talking with the woman who owned the craft. It was apparent she had no clue about cars but Ratchet was debating whether it was the fluffy designer wrap scarf dangling from her shoulders or the studded sunglasses that alone probably cost over one hundred dollars which gave it away. As he approached the two, he could make out their conversation.

"I can't thank you enough for doing this." The lady said.

"Oh it's no problem. Not for a pretty piece like yourself. I had one of my lower level mechanics on it at first but once you said you needed it so quickly, I had to jump on the job. Sometimes you need the experienced and more knowledgeable persons to work on something that matters so much." Ratchet's boss said flattering himself as he took all of Ratchet's credit.

"Oh my, well it looks like you know your stuff." The lady said surprisingly interested.

"Yup. The problem with your craft was the equalizer was lost in the accident causing the weakening of the gauge pressure in the core stabilizer which in result overheated it. So, once we replaced the stabilizer, and with a little man power and elbow grease," He then cross his arms in a burly fashion. "we had the thing flying in no time." He said taking his employee's explanation for his own.

"Oh that bastard doesn't even know if it still flies. I was the one that just fixed it!" Ratchet mumbled under his breath.

"Well look at you." The lady said a bit flattering. Ratchet twisted his mouth in disgust in the fact that she was actually flirting with his overweight boss. Besides, he should be the one she should be flirting with, he did all the work. He's just taking his glory.

"Eh, what can I say. It's my job." The fat boss said nonchalantly.

"Well. If I need any more of your…assistance, I'll be sure to call." She winked before walking away in her now fixed orbiter. Ratchet cringed in anger and disgust. At this time he made it up to his boss.

"Hey Ratch, you did fix it right?" The boss said unsurely.

"Yes. And she should have been thanking _Ratchet_ for fixing her orbiter rather than the fat low life that just signs his paychecks." He said aggressively.

"Watch it or there won't be a paycheck to be signed." His boss said before walking away. Ratchet just huffed, clocked out, and headed to his car. He had already gotten his paycheck for the last week earlier in the day, which included his overtime work on the car, but the banks were closed at this time so he had to wait until the next day to cash his check. He just headed home, glad the day was finally over.

*o*

Krystal stopped at the doorway of the house before leaving through the front door. She turned back and thought for a moment to see if there were any lights she forgot to turn off. Fox had emphasized many times that whenever someone leaves a room they need to turn off the light, and the last person out of the house should make sure everything is off. It was approaching mid-day and was pretty bright out so there weren't many lights to turn off to begin with. She concluded there wasn't anything she knew she was forgetting so she continued on her way.

She was heading downtown to meet Fox at the bank to finalize their credit loan on their house. They really wished they didn't need to do so but they had no other option. They have been talking about it for weeks, and that's all they seemed to have talked about, and they have decided that that was better than filing for bankruptcy in a few years if their finances didn't turn around. So not wanting to risk even further harm, they decide to take one out now before they would desperately need it later. They were actually kind of lucky they saw that they would need a credit loan so early. The earlier they took it out, the more they can work with it over time before it got real bad.

All these thoughts kept going through Krystal's head as she drove downtown. It wasn't a long drive due to the freeway that went from the outskirts of the urban residencies where they lived all the way to Main Street. It might have been quicker to take the train but they could only afford one year round pass and Fox had it so that he could maneuver around town for work easier. She came up onto Main Street and turned off. The bank was only a few blocks down but the closest parking garage was a block or two in the opposite direction.

She pulled up to the pay station for the garage and got out her wallet. With her eyes still peering in front of her through the sunglasses on her face, she held out the usual three dollars for the minimum two hour limit.

"I'm sorry miss, it'll be another dollar." The boar at the station said.

She finally turned to face the man to explain. "No, I'm just here for the minimum stay."

"I understand but the prices went up. It's four now." The tusked pig said emotionlessly. It was clear he had been explaining that a lot recently and it was just the normal thing to say like someone would normally say 'thank you' or 'have a nice day.'

Krystal turned her attention to a sign next to the station door that read the new prices. She sighed and withdrew another dollar from her wallet. The boar took the cash and handed her a ticket. The barrier lifted and the vixen drove on forward. It was hard enough to find a parking spot that wasn't all the way up on the roof but guess that's why they made elevators. Krystal made her way down to the street level and began her trek toward the bank.

She kept her head still and straight forward but underneath her sunglasses, her eyes were wandering like no other. She always marveled at the tall buildings but not only that, it had been a while since she had strolled downtown. She remembered when they were first married, Fox and Krystal used to wander around downtown with Krystal holding onto Fox's arm as ran from his shoulder and into his pocket. They would stop by the windows of shops and look at different décor, thinking how good it would look in their home. Of course they never came to buying any of that stuff. The more she thought of it, the more it seemed like money was always tight. They have been worried about it for so long, it seems like they always were pinching their pennies.

Her thought process was disrupted by a strange colored hedgehog that bumped into her. She would have reacted differently to its unusual black and red color alteration, but she knew how strange a blue vixen was to most people so she knew how it felt to be stared at.

"Excuse me." She said as they brushed shoulders accidentally. She noticed he didn't respond but that wasn't what caught her attention. When they made contact, she could sense a lot of pride in the hedgehog's thoughts. She quickly peered into them and saw he was focused on something he just stole.

Panicked slightly, she stopped and felt her pockets to see if anything was missing. All her contents were still there. She checked her purse and found her wallet and everything else to be exactly in place. He didn't pick pocket her. She let out a small sigh of relief and continued on her way.

It wasn't much farther that she reached the Hilltop Bank. One of the most prestigious banks in the area, it held thousands of well-known people's money as well as a few hundred unknown people's money. Most of them were wealthy stock brokers or political figures that earned much more than they deserved. Fox was able to get in just because of his name but they were sure they were probably the least wealthy of the banks clients. She walked up the large marble steps and past one of the many lion statues and marble pillars and through the large wooden doors at the top.

Her eyes were slightly distracted by the height of the ceiling but remained her professional look as she quickly saw Fox sitting at a desk to the left talking to one of the tellers. She made her way over to him, forgetting her sunglasses were still over her eyes. "Ok, let's get this done with." She said a bit stressed as she sat down next to her husband.

"Ok Mrs. McCloud, I was just briefing your husband on the basic policy and the terms of agreement for your credit loan." The badger behind the desk began to explain. "As you know, since this is a credit loan, there will be a monthly interest rate. If that rate is not met, the interest for the next month has the previous amount on it as well as the interest for the first month…" It was all mindless financial babble. Both Fox and Krystal took in every word seriously and was very attentive on what the badger was saying, despite how much they wanted to zone out during the one-sided conversation. If there were any questions or discrepancies, they would ask about them but other than that, it consisted mostly of the badger reading straight from a multi-paged policy chart.

"Do you understand the agreement?" He asked at the conclusion of his loan tutorial. Fox and Krystal looked at each other slightly distant. They looked back at the teller and shook their heads, 'no.'

"Alright then. If you could sign here…initial here….cosign here….account number here….income here….last tax return here…." Fox and Krystal swapped signing the paper as it called for the main and secondary household income holder's signature multiple times as well as account holder and cosigner.

"I swear I'm getting arthritis just by signing this damn document." Fox said in his mind, opening up for Krystal to hear him.

She smiled. "You're telling me. And this guy doesn't seemed phased at his near hour long explanation. Seriously, how does this guy not hate his job?" She joked inside Fox's mind.

He smiled too, trying to hide a chuckle. "How can you tell he doesn't?"

"Really? This guy is easier to read than a book. He's freaking loving this!"

Fox couldn't hold back his laughter anymore. He let a few chuckles out which he tried to cover up as coughs but failed miserably. Kyrstal smiled as it was now her turn to try and hold back her laughs.

"Is something wrong Mr. McCould?" The teller asked a bit suspiciously.

"Oh *couch couch* no. Just," He cleared his throat to try and add conviction to his fake coughs, "something in my throat, that's all." He cleared his throat one more time and continued signing.

"Bet he gets paid pretty well." He thought.

"Which is sad because a monkey could do his job." Krystal responded on their com channel that only they could tap. But as soon as she said that, a large ape in a similar suit to the badger, which looked odd with the big figure, walked past them and sat down behind his desk. That was the last straw as both Fox and Krystal burst out laughing.

"Is there something I should know?" The badger asked much more interested in their unusual behavior. To him, they were just quietly signing the document but occasionally broke out in a few smiles and chuckles. To any bystander, it would look odd and suspicious.

"No we're, we're sorry. Just an…._inside_ joke." Fox said as he signed the final line.

"Ok?" The badger drew out as he raised an eyebrow and took the completed papers. "Well you are all finished with your paperwork." He stood up and stretched out his hand to shake that of the couple's. "Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. McCloud on your credit loan." He smiled.

Fox shook his hand then Krystal followed. "Thank you." Fox said as he thought it sure as hell wasn't something to be congratulated about.

"Give this to the doe at the counter before you leave." He added as held out his hand with a small slip in it.

"Will do." Fox said. The two moved to the counter which held a small line but it moved quickly as they were only behind one or two people. "We were told to give this to you." Fox said as he handed the slip to the doe. She took it immediately and started fiddling with it and a few punch machines.

Krystal looked over and saw at the other side of the huge courtyard like room a large safe door closing behind another set of barred doors. "That's one big safe." She said her thought aloud by mistake.

"It is. And one of the most secure too." The doe said as she continued working with the slip. She looked up and directed the next statement toward Fox. "Your old counterpart, Slippy Toad, actually designed it."

"That exact one?" Fox said, not surprised the lady knew who he was.

"Well, not that one but the design of it. Yeah, he sold it to many large banks across the system. Not one has seemed to fail since in operation."

Fox let out a small "Huh" as the lady outstretched the slip in her hand.

"Here you are Mr. and Mrs. McCloud." She put a girlish smile on her face. "Come by again."

Fox raised the slip in the air slightly, nodded his head and said, "Will do" before him and Krystal turned toward the exit.

The two stood out on top of the steps of the outside of the large bank ready to depart. Krystal still had her sunglasses on as she never removed them at all during the whole process. "Marcus is over at Jake's house for the afternoon so once you come home you'll have to pick him up. I will have spaghetti ready when you get back."

"Sounds good." Fox said with a cheesy smile.

"How long are you working until?" Krystal asked to double check.

"It depends on how long it takes me to finish my work." He responded with an expression that begged for her not to be angry or disappointed.

She let out a sigh. "Ok. Well don't be there too late. You are to pick up Marcus, don't you forget."

"Ok. I'll see you at home." Fox said as they departed toward opposite sides of the front of the bank.

Fox didn't have far to travel since the train was about a block away. He got on the blue line and headed off toward his work.

It had been a good few hours but Fox didn't notice at all. He sat at this desk, lightly flicking his temple with the end of a pen as he focused on a pile of papers in front of him. Occasionally he would bring the pen drawn hand down from the side of his head to the papers and scribble something down. In amongst one of his doodles of numbers and short phrases, his stomach growled heavily. "Damn I'm hungry." He murmured. The sudden mindset change brought his eyes away from his paperwork, for the first time in hours, and to the small clock that sat on his cluttered desk. "OH SHIT! 9:30?" He shouted as he jumped out of his chair, frantically throwing all the papers into a manila folder, held it under his arm as he made it to the nearby exit where his car sat right outside the door.

He threw himself in the driver's seat while throwing the folder in the passenger seat. He quickly turned the car on and sped off home. He opened up the console and pulled out his cell phone. 'Two missed calls. One voice message.' It read.

"I've really got to stop leaving this in the car." He said as he browsed through the missed calls already knowing the identity of the vixen that left them. He hit a few more buttons and put it on speaker.

"One new message." It rang with an automated voice.

"Fox." His wife's voice called out with such decree that the listener already knew his fate with that one word sentence. "It is 8:45 and you are still not home. I already picked up Marcus and am putting him to bed soon. You'll have to warm up your plate of spaghetti. The pasta's on the table and the sauce is on the stove in case you are still not home by the time I go to sleep."

Then there was the 'click' and the phone's voice concluded the message. "End of message. To delete this message, press–" But it was cut off my Fox already hitting the number '7' to delete the message. He didn't like to clutter up his voice mail with old messages. He knew he was in for it, as Krystal sounded quite upset. If only the speed limit was two times higher.

He finally came through the doors of a dimly lit house around 9:50. He turned on the living room light and saw Krystal sitting on the couch watching TV.

" 'Bout time." She said still a bit heated.

"Sorry, I completely lost track of time and–"

"Save it. You said you were going to pick up your son and you forgot. It's just a damn good thing there aren't two absent minded professors in this household.

"Krys, I'm sorry, I–" Fox tried to apologize.

"I said save it. You're food's getting colder and colder." She said suggesting that he leave her alone. Fox stood his ground for a bit but decided she was right. He screwed up and she didn't want to deal with him at the moment. Not only that, he was starving.

He walked into the kitchen and placed the plate of pasta in the microwave. As it cooked, he leaned on the counter and starred at his wife sitting on the couch. He would hope she would turn toward him, even one quick glance would give him hope that he wasn't completely six feet under. But unfortunately, her eyes stayed fixed on the television. The microwave beeped and Fox put a few ladles of sauce on top of the pasta and put it back in the microwave. Again, he watched her to see if she would look his way but she wouldn't. He even opened up his mind a bit to see if she was interested in slipping in. Even a single word insult would have comforted him, showing she was at least thinking about him but he picked up nothing.

He gave up and turned back to the microwave a few seconds before it peeped a final time. He pulled it out but drew his hands away from the hot bowl. He let it sit for a few seconds before he could pick it up again. He took his meal into the living room and placed it on the coffee table, to substitute as a dining table, and began digging in while watching the pictures change on the box in front of him. "Good pasta." Fox said sincerely while trying to cheer her up but she sat silent. "Look, Krys, I'm sorry."

"You've got to stop doing this." She said, finally turning to him with pleading eyes.

"I know." Said the vulpine acceptingly. Fox let out a distressed laugh. "Trust me, I know."

"You always are working and you have nothing to show for it." Krystal reassured him. "Can't you come home at the normal close of business like everyone else?"

"I would love to, but I just have so much work to do and they really need me over there." He got up and sat next to Krystal and took her hand. "If there was a way I could change that, I would in a heartbeat."

She closed her eyes and withdrew a heavy sigh. "I know." She said lowly. "I'm sorry, I just really wish things were better for us."

Fox patted his wife's paw that still rested in his own. "I do too. Now I'm pretty tired. What do you say we retire for the day?" Fox said as he stood up in front of the vixen with her hand still in his. She smiled contently and got up as well. She quickly picked up the remote, turned off the television and gently tossed it back on the couch. Fox picked up his dishes and placed them in the dishwasher. He turned to see Krystal heading up stairs and he soon followed, after turning off all the downstairs lights of course.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Said I don't have anything to spoil, which I don't (Unless you consider the name of a character a spoiler) but I firgured I might as well start with the bottom A/N.

I hope it's obvious 'Paddy' is an Irish character. I wrote out (or tried to) every 'average' Irish accent in his few lines this chapter but that will not continue for multiple reasons. I initially did it to make sure everyone knew he was Irish. Another reason is, there is no 'one' Irish accent which is what most typical people think. Just like how there is not 'one' American accent. (Take people from Brooklyn vs. people from Minne_soe_ta vs. the south). The thrid reason is that when people even try to write out accents, they tend to get them all wrong or give people the wrong audio. If I were to write out all his accents, people would think of the _leprechaun_ accent that people associate with Irish accents and that's neither right nor accurate. I occasionally will slip in a few common Irish words and phrases and every once in a while I might slip in a lazy sounding vowel but only sparingly and in the right place.

One last thing before I end this long A/N. I know the order of the sequence of events is a bit off. However, I never said all of the POV's happened the same day (except for two of them) but if they were all to be in the same day it would be like Shadow's/Krystal and Fox's then Paddy's, then Ratchet's, then the rest of Fox and Krystal's. The sequence of events hhere doesn't matter but I figured some people will be a bit confused or off about it.

Thanks, and Review!


	5. Ch:2 Fade Away: What IsWhat Used To Be

Rush

Chapter 2: Fade Away

Part 1: What Is and What Used To Be

Fox slowly sat up in his bed. He let out an obnoxious yawn before his mind finally awoke, trailing slightly behind the rest of his body. He looked around with squinted eyes at his bedroom. Despite how he hadn't had anything to drink the night before, he always awoke as if in a slight hangover; the little light that escaped the closed curtain was way too bright and his head throbbed from lying motionlessly on the same old pillow but all of that would soon fade as it always did. He turned to see a blue vixen sleeping effortlessly on the other side of the bed huddled underneath the comforter with her arms in front of her face, straddling the pillow that rested underneath her head. He slowly crept out from underneath the sheets, as to not disturb her, and made his way to the bathroom.

He closed the door and flicked on the light before stopping in front of the mirror to inspect himself. He rubbed his chin to see if he needed to even out the fur around his muzzle and concluded he was in no need of an immediate trim. He looked at his rustled hair and tired eyes, removed the crust from those eyes, and got ready for a shower. He grabbed the shampoo, removed his pajamas, and stepped in the already steamed glass shower case. Once he was finished, he looked at himself in the mirror again and like magic, his fur was all in line and orderly, he looked wide awake and smelt of a pleasant 'Ocean Spray' as was the scent of the shampoo.

He left the bathroom and made his way to the dresser where he picked out a casually-formal outfit consisting of a rougher pair of khaki pants, and a good looking black jacket that he was comfortable wearing indoors and in formal situations. His job attire was not really formal but he always tried to look his best, not quite 'shirt and tie' best though. He couldn't imagine the reaction of his coworkers if he showed up at a gunsmith wearing that get up. He pulled out a long sleeve green shirt and a similar red shirt, debating which he should go with. Figuring he has worn out green, he replaced the green shirt and placed the red undershirt on before taking his jacket and throwing it over his shoulder as he made his way downstairs.

He flicked on a single light to the kitchen, again trying to conserve the amount of money in their household's wallet by using the minimum of everything, and made his way to the fridge. He placed his jacket over the back of one of the kitchen table chairs before opening both the fridge and freezer compartments simultaneously. He looked around and sighed at how almost everything in there was a very strange and random assortment of components of meals that he bought simply because he had a coupon, though he would never admit it to his family. He turned his head to the freezer where some of the Toaster Strudels he bought, again with a coupon, for Marcus were calling out to him.

"Better than nothing I guess." He said as he closed the fridge compartment and with the hand that held it open, reached down and grabbed the little box. He looked at the cooking instructions briefly as he kicked the freezer door closed. He pulled two out and placed them in the toaster, flicked down the switch and waiting in the chair next to the one that held his jacket.

About a minute passed and the pastries soon jumped into the air, landing right back where Fox first placed them. He got up and put them on a napkin as he fiddling with opening the small packet of icing that came with the breakfast snacks. He tried using the little slits on the side but go figure the machine that made them caused them to be too far from the edge of the packet making it extremely difficult to be of any use. So he brought it to his mouth to try and use his teeth to rip the unusually strong plastic but that failed as well. Finally, he extended a claw and stabbed the packet and used the hole he created as a nozzle for the sugary topping. He bit into the treat and curled his lips, noticing the insides were still cold.

The small breakfast wasn't real satisfying and it sure as hell didn't fill him, but he didn't have time to dillydally around any longer. He shut off the kitchen light and headed off to work.

Through his the whole drive downtown, he could not stop thinking about that loan. In the long run, it was only going to place them even more in debt but they really needed the money now. You'd think for saving Lylat constant times and for all the work he has done over the years, he'd have enough money for the next three lifetimes, but all the glamor and glory of the spotlight is not as bright as people think it is.

He let out a heavy sigh the more he dwelled on the subject. All these money problems would be the death of him he thought. He closed his eyes for only a moment and envisioned a terrible future; one where he never escaped the burden of all the credit and interest and loans. His and Krystal's arguments became more and more frequent as they always fought over what was best for their family and for their financial security. Krystal had to pick up another job and a third seasonal one while Fox's salary hasn't increased much as he was too humble to ask for a raise. The only relief was that Marcus got accepted to the Academy so they didn't have to fund his schooling or open a bunch of student loans in his name.

He snapped back to reality as he approached a necessary left turn. But his mind was far from wandering. What of Krystal? Would she be able to handle all this drama for the rest of their life? He knew they'd never separate but what he feared most was losing the connection they so heavily shared. It was already dwindling and they have only ventured a few years into the rest of their lives.

He shook his head to clear the dreadful premonitions. He came up to his work and stopped at the gate, rolled down his window, typed a few numbers into the keypad and swiped an authorization key. A horn sounded and the gates slowly rolled open allowing Fox's older but still drive able car into the premises.

"Good mornin' Fox!" A panther shouted at him as he fiddled with his keys to try and lock his car from the outside.

"Morning Chaz." Fox said friendly but a bit distant with all the thoughts and worries still in his head. He made his way from his car to another, much smaller gate, where only one person could comfortably get in. He swiped the same card he used earlier over a pad suspended next to the door. It beeped a few times before a click was heard and Fox moved through the gate with ease. He made his way through the sometimes long and narrow hallways of the complex, turned a few corners, ventured through a few flights of stairs and entered into a cafeteria-like room with a bunch of empty chairs and tables. Of course, come noon this place will be flooded with all sorts of workers enjoying the thirty minutes of freedom they are granted each day but now it remained empty. Fox continued on shortly through another set of doors where some cubicles resided. He walked past the numerous grey boxes and came up to a door. He flipped out a key, stuck it in the keyhole and with a little bit of a routine jiggle, the door popped open.

He dropped his briefcase on a chair that sat in front of his desk before moving to the other side to drop his tail end in his own chair. He turned the office chair a bit to face a computer and flicked it on. The work day has just begun.

As Fox worked away the hours, there was a sort of rhythm that went along with his movements. In amongst the shifting eyes between some papers on his desk, his paws typing and clicking away at the keyboard and mouse, and the computer monitor, someone could mistake the tiny cogs that were moving inside his head for a perfectly coria graphed ensemble. Of course occasionally he would take his hands off the multi padded plank in front of him to a nearby blueprint and a pencil, disrupting the beautiful performance but they would always get back in sync eventually.

The hours ticked by and not before long, it was lunchtime. A buzzer sounded off and everyone seemingly simultaneously jumped out of their chairs, holding either a home packed lunch or a few dollars to run to a nearby fast food joint. There was almost a slight humor to the industrial feel of how everyone snapped to their next task like drones to the sound of a buzzer, but no one seemed to notice. They were just happy to eat something and take a break from their tasks.

Fox reached down into his bag and pulled out a small Tupperware container filled with some of Krystal's leftover spaghetti and made his way to the nearby mess area. Of course a large portion of time was spent waiting in line for the microwave but the vulpine managed to cook his food and sat down with some coworkers in a matter of minutes.

Even before Fox was able to sit down, with his legs just making it to the other side of the table seat, someone directed speech to him. Lunch was one of the few times during the day they had the opportunity to socialize so this was common. "So how's the new pistol grip for the T-74?" Chaz, who greeted Fox in the parking lot earlier, spoke.

"Pretty good, I've almost got the design completely fabricated on Catia. Once that's done, I need to take it down to the lab to get a prototype. Then on to testing." He said joyfully as he spun a fork around in the container of spaghetti and shoved the noodles in his mouth at the conclusion of his statement.

"So you could probably get the design done by the end of the day?" An older owl cut in with some food still being broken down in his beak.

"I hope to!" Fox responded as well with food in his muzzle.

"Lucky man. I can't wait to get my project done." Chaz continued. "But until then, I need a bit of a relaxer to all this stress." He said, grinning at the other two as he pulled out a small flask from under the table. The fox and the owl sitting with him answered back with a similar devious grin as the panther poured some of the contents into his metal canteen, then passed it down the line.

The owl took it and poured some into his drink as well. Before passing it on, he took a swig from his new concoction and recoiled from the bite. "Ohh, that's good."

Fox reached over to take the flask to join in on the consumption. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, what are you doing there?" Chaz said with a joking grin and matching tone.

Fox stopped and turned to the cat but the owl cut in before anything else was spoken. "Yeah, you said you're almost done with your work, you'll be relaxing in a few hours at your own house, in the arms of that sexy treasure you call your wife." A playful smile widened on the owl's face as he too entered the camaraderie. "All I have to relax to is the attempt to down my wife's cooking!"

The three joined in on a few laughs before the panther continued on their rant. "Exactly, you don't need this right now."

Fox picked up on his coworker's teasing. "Well too bad for you then 'cuz your little workday remedy is going to waste on someone who 'doesn't need it.'" He smiled as he snatched the flask and poured some contents into his drink. Chaz did nothing seeing as he was going to let Fox have some eventually in amongst all his joking around. Fox handed it back to the panther and he took it with a friendly head nod.

After handing off the flask, Fox grabbed his drink and took a bit of a bigger gulp than he should have taken. He slammed the drink back on the table, success in his attempt to not spill any, and let out a few coughs.

The cat and bird began laughing a bit. "Can't handle a little rum and coke?" Chaz said making fun of his friend.

"A little? What the hell kind of rum is that?" Fox said in amongst a few remaining coughs.

"A home brew." The panther said proudly. He leaned in across the table and whispered to Fox. "P.S., it's not actually rum." The owl heard the statement and let out a few chuckles as he took a controlled sip of his drink as well. The panther leaned back to his seat and took a bite out of his sandwich. They sat for a moment in silence to make a bit more progress on their meals before continuing the conversation. "So Foxie, how's Krystal and little Marcus?"

"Good." He said quickly but it didn't sound right. He said it so fast like instinct without even considering whether things were actually good. Not only that, it made him uncomfortable that that was all he said so he felt like adding more. "Krystal picked up a job at a daycare not to long ago and Marcus is starting 1st grade in the fall but that's a good few months away. It's been kind of slow for a while though." He didn't really know what he meant with that last part but it felt better than to say nothing at all.

"That's good. So Foxie…how's Krystal." The panther said with a cocky grin.

Finally, Fox caught on to what his friend was getting at. "Really?" Was all he could get out.

"Hey, I'm just saying, she is a fine lady. She probably knows what she's doing where it counts." He said smartly.

Fox just rolled his eyes. "What is it with panthers and Krystal?" He mumbled to himself with a slightly comedic tone.

"Speaking of fine ladies. Cassandra just got on her lunch break." The younger cat said as he began to stare past Fox and the older owl next to him to a well-figured feline that just sat down at a table across the cafeteria. The cheetah crossed her legs and bit into an apple she got from the vending machine.

"Do you think she's a jungle cat kind of gal?" Chaz asked, revealing his question to be a bit more serious than he'd hope to do.

"I don't know. Maybe those field cats have a wild side of their own." Fox chimed in, egging him on.

"Oh, wouldn't that be nice." He responded as he leaned back in his chair and placed his hand on the back of his head, resting them lightly behind his perked ears. Fox shook his head and continued eating.

As usual, the end of lunch came much quicker than it should have to but the three loosened up on their rambling and was able to finish their premade sandwiches and entrees after a while. They got out from their seats, gave each other salutations, and headed back to their respective corners to finish whatever their daily tasks may be.

As he and the panther predicted during their lunch conversation, Fox was able to get the final touches on the design for his latest assignment done. It was a little past seven and the day ended a good two hours ago, but his work was finished nonetheless and even better, it was Friday meaning one word: weekend. He packed up some of his stuff that was lying around his desk and office, threw them into his briefcase and headed for the exit. He stopped and thought if there was anything else he needed to bring home for the weekend before flicking off the light switch and locking the door to his own secluded island that was his office behind him.

He made his way down the hall to the exit when he noticed another light on in another office. He was usually the last one to leave, not because he had to but more or less so he could finish more work, so he was a bit curious as to why today was different. As he moved closer to the only abandoned office in the area, he began to hear voices.

"Chaz, Larry, what are you guys still doing here?" Fox asked as he came up to the same panther and owl he ate lunch with. The owl sat low behind his desk while the panther had a sincere look on his face. "What's wrong?"

The panther looked up at Fox. "It's the new CFO."

"Beeker? Yeah, what about him?" Fox had known their company got a new Chief Financial Officer recently and that he was this new young kid with little to no experience but other than that, he didn't know much of who he was or what he was doing.

"He's apparently been punching numbers and trying to increase profits as much as possible and…" The jungle cat began to trail off again. "and part of that includes laying off some of the older employees who have been working here for years to bring in younger ones who have not earned as high of a salary." He stopped again and looked down at the owl. He rested a paw on the birds back before finishing. "They've let Larry go."

"What?" Fox said in surprise. How could they do that? Are the company's employees just numbers that the well paid execs are burdened with? The thought could not formulate in the more humble fox's mind. "That, that can't be right."

"It is. I'm done. They don't give a shit about me or my wife or how we are supposed to continue our living. They just care about how much money is in their own pockets." The owl choked up with a crackle in his throat.

"Oh Larry." Was all the pity Fox could muster. He wanted to comfort him by saying it wasn't true and that there were bigger reasons for his situation but he didn't want to lie.

"Come on Larr, you've got to leave here sometime." Chaz tried to comfort his older friend. "Come on, it's Friday, let's hit the bars or something. Anything to get your spirits up."

"Chaz and I's treat. You won't have to pay a dime." Fox cut in. He looked toward Chaz for an answer to the question he never asked, hoping his sudden suggestion was okay with the cat. He gave the vulpine an agreeing head nod and Fox could have sworn he heard Chaz's inner voice tell him it was a good idea.

"Come on, let's get you out of this place." The panther said as he steadily lifted the owl from his chair. The bird got up and slowly moved out of his office, not even grabbing his stuff figuring he'd have to pack it up with a few days anyway. They left the building and piled into a single car and headed for the town.

*o*

"Hello?"

"Hey Krys. Umm, I'm going to be home a bit late today…well, like a lot late actually."

Krystal let out a heavy sigh as she held the phone handset to her muzzle and now sagging ears. "How late?"

"Well…" The voice over the phone turned into a whisper, causing the obvious roar of a car engine to become more prevalent. "Larry got the boot and Chaz and I agreed to take him to the bars tonight."

"Oh." Krystal said with shock and sympathy for the old bird. A quick but fearful thought entered her mind about how things would be if Fox lost his job. The blip of a nightmare ended and she entered back into her conversation with her husband. "I'm sorry to hear that. Tell Larry he's in my thoughts. But don't go out and spend a lot on booze. In fact, with all the money crunching you've had us do, I'll be surprised if you bring yourself to have even one beer."

"Well…" Krystal could tell another confession was coming from the vulpine on the other end of the call. "Chaz and I agreed to cover his costs tonight."

"Jesus Fox, that's nice of you and all but–"

"I know what I'm doing. We'll be fine." He interrupted a bit annoyed. Krystal remained silent. "Sorry. I'll be back late. I'll… see you when I get home."

A bleep sounded through the line signifying the call has ended but Krystal still held the phone up to her face for a few more seconds. She sighed again and let the handset fall with her limp arm as she dropped it to her side again. Her eyes closed for a moment as well before hanging up the phone and heading toward the living room to watch some television.

She plopped hard on the soft couch and flicked on the electric box sitting on the other side of the room with the remote that was conveniently lying to her right.

Coincidentally enough, the television program that just happened to be on was that of some action show involving space fighters. Krystal's imagination always ran wild while watching television. Her mind expanded and thought of so many things. Maybe she was still a bit inspired about the contraption even after being around one for several years. The first time she saw the thing, she could not grasp how a whole universe of scenarios were taking place in such a little box. It took the whole Star Fox team about a week to tell her what it really was.

She smiled at how naïve she was when she first joined the team, not being accustomed to such technology. Now nothing seemed to amaze her like it did then because it all seemed normal now. That thought, back when she was new on the team, and the images of the show on the glowing box that transfixed her eyes brought back many memories. Memories of adventures, of old friends, and of one exciting period of her life.

"All systems are green. Ready for launch." Fox called over the com channel to both ROB and Peppy on board the Great Fox. He sat ready in the docking bay of the large flagship in his ant-like in comparison Arwing II. He looked over to his right where Falco's Sky Claw. Falco saw the team leader and good friend look his way and gave him a multi-messaged head nod. Fox looked past the Sky Claw and down the Delta formation to see Slippy's Bull Frog. He was fiddling with some controls in his ship as he normally does in pre-flight. Fox then turned to his left where Krystal was sitting patiently in her Cloud Runner. She could probably feel Fox's thoughts and emotions run wild, as he had not yet learned to control them yet, and caught his attention rather quickly. She turned to him and smiled. He smiled back.

"Alright Fox, you're good to go. Adjusting bay pressure." Peppy called out on the other end of the com channel from the bridge of the Great Fox. He stared down at a few computer screens, some monitoring each vessel as they were about to shot out of the carrier ship like a cannon and others that simply were different camera views of the docking bay.

"Launch in three, two, one." And just like that, the Arwing II shot out with a brilliant light trail that slowly faded away. Quickly after, the Sky Claw moved out in an almost identical fashion, then the Cloud Runner, than the Bull Frog. The four ships remained it their triangular formation as they moved through the open void of space.

"Alright team. Let's get this done."

"Great advice Fox." Falco sarcastically added.

"Approaching target at supercruise velocity of atmospheric Mach 3.42. Target is approximately 5000 space kilometers away." Krystal said informatively to the other pilots.

"Great, an hour wait before reaching the target." Falco said noticeably annoyed.

"We had to station the Great Fox a good distance away so that it wouldn't get involved in any combat. Remember last time, it took quite a bit of damage. We can't allow that to happen again." Fox explained.

"Well you sure made for one hell of a cruise." Falco said as it could been seen through his cockpit that he leaned back a bit and placed his arms behind his head, allowing the autopilot to take control.

"Quit complaining Falco. Now would be a good time to listen to the Sky Claw. You keep telling me it's starting to ride rough while accelerating." Slippy commentated.

Falco just grumbled and flicked on a private channel to Slippy so that he could hear the sounds of the Sky Claw while they were in supercruise. "There's this sort of rotating sounds going on." Falco added as Slippy continued to listen into the sounds of the avian's spacecraft.

Fox took this time to address Krystal while the bird and frog squabbled about to each other. "Hey Krys, you ready for this?" He said on a private channel as well.

"Why would I not be?" Krystal said in Fox's head, making him realize they didn't need radio communication but he wanted to use it anyways. Though he adored the natural sound of Krystal's voice without the cackle and fuzz of the radio, he liked the feeling that the added static brought of having Krystal and the Cloud Runner by his Arwing on missions, though he often was nervous for her safety.

"I don't know, just making conversation." He said with a smile in his mind that the vixen telepathically caught as clear as day. She smiled back, even if Fox couldn't see it as easily. "Uhh, I can't wait to see some action!" Fox added with obvious anxiousness excitement, still talking over the private com channel.

"Yeah, it's been a while." Krystal said back, finally talking through the radio.

"I'll say."

"Just don't get too excited and do something idiotic." The vixen said with a comical tone.

"Thanks mom." Fox joked which made Krystal chuckle a bit while she rolled her eyes.

"Just don't die on me."

"Yes ma'am." Fox said with a devious grin. He was getting real anxious which usually never happened. He was usually calm and kept his cool but it has been months since they have been on a mission that required any fighting. He needed some action.

The hour long cruise passed by relatively shortly due to the conversations that were going on. Fox, having the authority of being team leader, tapped into Falco's and Slippy's private com channel after finishing talking with Krystal the entire trip. "Well damn Slip! If you're crappy mechanics on my thrusters didn't run into the G-Diffuser like it has, maybe we wouldn't be having this problem!" Fox heard Falco unsurprisingly shout over the com.

Slippy was just about to retort with something but Fox cut him off with hardly enough time to make a small peep. "Ok guys, cool it. We can look at the Sky Claw back at the Great Fox. Right now, we have a mission to carry out. We're coming up on the suspected target."

"….My radar's picking up something." Falco said a bit more seriously shortly after.

"Yeah, I'm seeing it too." Slippy added.

"There's a lot of activity up ahead." Krystal reported.

"Let's get some distance between each other in case worst comes to worse." Fox commanded. The four ships slowly moved out a bit to give some more maneuverability room for the space crafts.

Not long after, an automated voice came over the team's com channels. "Unauthorized entrance into SPECTR air space. Identify and state your purpose." The mechanical voice stated casually.

"We're the pizza guys. We've got three peperoni and–"

"Falco! Lock it up!" Fox shouted to his wingman. "This is Star Fox team. We have been sent on orders of Cornerian security due to suspicious and unregistered activity coming from this sector. Please allow our clearance or we will be forced to report to higher military authority." His clear cut statement sounded so authoritative and to the point, and slightly well-rehearsed, that one would expect them to be given free reign over any air space but that was not in their suspect's intentions.

A bit longer of a pause rested itself between Fox's last statement and the automated voice's answer. "Negative. Access to SPECTR denied." Almost as soon the voice clicked off the com, a large station appeared what seemed like out of nowhere.

"Wow. Do you see that!" Slippy stated the obvious as he tends to do sometimes.

"Yeah, I see it." Fox answered back. Through both experience and the tactical mind he has been trained with, he knew that the enemy revealing itself was nothing more than a challenge. And he was not going to back away from a challenge. "Everyone, we're about to enter combat." He added, trying to hold back the excited hiccup in his throat. "I'll be switching to all-range mode. Falco Slippy and Krystal, manner your crafts for engagement as well. This is going to be one hell of a dogfight." He flipped a few switches in the cockpit of the Arwing II and felt the slight jolt of the wings extending for close combat maneuverability. The three others performed similar tasks as their fighters slightly modified for the upcoming battle.

Out of the enemy station poured numerous space crafts like a swarm of bees that suddenly became enraged at someone who bothered their nest. "Here we go." Krystal said with traces of excitement as well.

"Once they fire on us, we've got the authorization to shoot and kill. Let's do this." Fox said as the four continued forward toward the approaching flood of bogies. Once the enemy got in range, a hail of lasers erupted onto Star Fox. They immediately broke formation and went straight into evasive maneuvers.

Being so largely outnumbered in a dogfight has obvious disadvantages but overall it gives the outnumbered team the advantage to take out more enemies as well as stay hidden in the field of the larger numbered force. Falco spun his Sky Claw around the battlefield so gracefully that it seemed choreographed. He came up on the tail of three enemy crafts, switched on his multi-lock and targeted them all right after each other. He shot out a few single-shot lasers and clipped all three bogies sending them into a fiery blaze. "Whew, it's good to fight again!" He shouted out as he blasted through the remains of the three downed enemies.

Out of the corner of Falco's eyes, he saw Fox tear through two of his own prey. "I hear ya buddy." The vulpine responded as he did so.

"Analyzing enemy's fighter crafts."Slippy rang through the headsets of the rest of the team. "The enemy's ships are a lower class military grade Space Dynamics craft that was labeled out of service about twenty years ago. They should be no problem against our fighters. The problem should be that station. It seems to emit an electronic pulse energy field that would surly disable any mechanical device within range. Much like an EMP. Since we don't know its purpose, I wouldn't suggest a full on assault just yet."

"Leave that decision to me. But first, let's take care of these sad examples of pilots." The team leader blurted out.

Krystal loved it when Fox took charge. He sounded so strong and confident but this wasn't the time to reminisce about the two of them. "You don't have to tell me twice." She said as she targeted a single craft and tore through it with the double lasers. As soon as she finished that one off, she immediately caught one in her crosshairs and fired it down without locking on.

"Nice one Krys." Fox thought clear enough for her to pick it up. She just smiled and moved onto the next unfortunate soul.

Slippy was having a harder time getting behind some of his pursuers due to the Bullfrog's slow speeds as the enemy crafts were much smaller and more nimble. He tried some fancy flying with a few quick turns and banks but he still couldn't lose them. Finally, he called in for help. "I can't get behind these guys, they're way to freackin' small!"

"Aww, the little toad needs some help?" Falco said as he shot down another bogey.

"Don't worry, I've got it." Krystal said as the Cloud Runner swung over the Bullfrog and blasted one of the two assailants. She went into a half loop and stayed what would seem like an upside-down position to Slippy, but each craft's G-Diffusers helped keep a center of gravity toward the bottom of each fighter. As she moved onto the enemy with superior speeds, she went into a nose dive above her prey. She approached perpendicular to the enemy and from directly above the cockpit of the ship she was targeting. She fired two sets of double lasers which disassembled the bogey in seconds.

"Geez, thanks Krystal." The frog said with an exhale.

"Anytime Slip."

Fox moved behind a couple enemies grouped close enough together to take them all out with a single charged shot. But before he could lock on to the center most craft, they broke their cluster formation and flew off in all directions. One flew above the Arwing II, one below, and one to each side. They all formed up behind Fox. He tried to bank enough to clip one at a time but they followed to close behind him. He boosted up then went into a dive. He daringly flung his ship below 270°, causing him to pull enormous amounts of G's at those speeds but he quickly recovered from the slight lightheadedness. As evident in his conversation with Krystal on the cruise over, with the lack of action during the team's last missions Fox's excitement about finally using his fighter for something other than escorts made him a little more daring and thrill seeking.

He pulled up underneath the four bogies that were about to continue on his trail. "Oh no you don't." Fox said as he fired a bomb. It exploded right in the fray. While the blast lingered, three other enemy fighters unsuspectingly flew straight into the sudden blast. "Awww yeah, seven with one shot!"

"Quit your bragging. You used a damn bomb, that doesn't count." Falco rebuked, a bit ashamed at Fox's shot.

"Jealous much?" He answered back with a chuckle.

Krystal got distracted by the actions and emotions of the vulpine. She noticed how he loved to fly and fight. The two weren't too different. She too loved all the action. It gave a certain thrill and purpose into her life, making her feel alive. She knew this was the same thing with Fox. Even though sometimes Fox feared for Krystal's safety when it came to fighting, he knew she could fend for herself. She often wondered if it was possible for Fox to ever give up the life of a warrior.

Her thoughts were quickly cut short as she took a few shots from a bogey that began to shadow her. "Hey, Krys! What are you doing, you've got a bogey right behind you!" Fox called out. Immediately she went into a roll to avoid more damage from the enemy lasers. Luckily her shields were pretty strong and the enemy's attacks were quite weak but she still had to get out of the fire. She sped through the debris of an already large amount of destroyed enemy ships trying to lose her assaulter, even hoping he might get hit by some of the passing shrapnel. But she just could not shake this guy.

She threw the Cloud Runner into a short boost, and then hit the brakes to let the guy fly in front of her. But as soon as they switched roles, two more of Krystal's target's buddies flew over the Cloud Runner and took a few more shots causing Krystal to lose her target on her initial attacker. She figured it best to ignore the first fighter and go after the other two since she had a better chance of getting behind them then trailing the first one.

She banked on their tail and was able to shoot one of them down almost instantly. But just her luck, the first fighter came back up on her from behind and fired some shots. She saw this and rolled just in time sending the lasers off in random directions. She couldn't stay like this forever; she needed to somehow get behind both of them, and not just one.

Her request was quickly answered as Fox dove over the fighter that was following Krystal and shot him down with a single charged shot. Krystal was then able to boost up and blast the last craft out of her way. "Thanks Fox."

"See, I'm watching out for my girl." He said not thinking about the statement.

"Ohhh, how cute Foxie. Let something slip? You smooth bastard." Falco said with complete mockery. Krystal could feel Fox's embarrassment a mile away. Sure they have been going out for a good few months but he still got red in the face at situations like this. Krystal let out a bit of a giggle.

On the other side of the battlefield, Slippy took out the last of the opposing force. "I think that's all of them guys."

"Alright, we need to get into that station somehow." Fox commanded, turning off the switch that just enabled his embarrassment, and again flicking on that of the team leader.

"Slippy, have you come up with any more data on the station's shield?"

"Yup. It's set up by an exterior satellite that is set at a stationary position just on the other side of the station. The only thing is it's guarded by multiple cannons and turrets. Judging by their grade, we wouldn't stand a chance if we went in how we are now."

"Have you used any of your bomb yet Slip?" Fox asked.

"Nope. I'm sure they would do the trick though. I'd need some cover to get close though."

"Let do it. You up for it Slippy?" Fox asked, making sure his team had full commitment to the assault.

"I suggested it didn't I?"

Fox grinned. "Alright then. Falco? You ready?"

"Always." He answered back firmly.

"Krystal?...Krsytal?"

"Krystal?" An otter called out as she was knocking on the outer glass door to the front door of the McCloud household.

She snapped out of her trance and threw her head in different directions to try and find the origin of the voice. Finally she saw the parent of one of Marcus' friends and she jumped off the couch to open the door. "Sorry Marcie, I must have zoned out."

"I'll say." She gave a friendly response. "Sorry it's late but Max and Marc really wanted to finish some movie that was on television."

"Oh it's fine. I'm sure he had fun." Krystal said as her son walking into the house. "I appreciate watching him for the evening. He gets a bit bored and lonely when Fox works late."

"Oh, it's no problem. We enjoy his company. He's a very bright boy."

The mother gave a faint smile. "I know. Well, I'll see you around sometime." Krystal said as the otter began to turn to head back to her car.

"Ok, bye!" She called out one last time.

Krystal closed the door and turned to her son. "Did you have fun?" She asked without making a sound.

"Yup." Marcus answered back in Krystal's head as the two made their way to the couch. When she used telepathy to speak to him, it was different than with Fox or anyone else. Probably because he used it back instead of just thinking of the responses. It was different for Krystal to have her mind invaded instead of the other way around but she kind of liked it. It gave her a good feeling that all of her people and culture was not completely lost. "You were thinking of dad weren't you." Krystal was kind of surprised at his comment but didn't fret. She wasn't thinking anything bad of him, actually the complete opposite. "He's coming home late again isn't he?" He asked innocently.

He must have picked up on the small thought Krystal momentarily had about how he was out at the bar with his friends. "Yeah, he is."

There was a bit of a pause in the conversation they were having in their mind. "What else were you thinking about before I walked in? I didn't recognize it."

Krystal sighed, reflecting on the flashback. "Just a memory." She wanted to elaborate on how she longed for more excitement again, but didn't want to either hurt her son or confuse him, knowing he wouldn't understand.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

A bit long for an update but at last here it is. I was going to split this into two chapters but that would mean a much longer update and two shorter chapters. (Which I appologize because this one is kind of long).

I tried to introduce some humor in here becuase as I've said, it's not going to be a complete drama.

I've decided that the flashback that Krystal had is going to be an internal side story through out the story. I initially had it because I wanted to include some dogfights but I like the way it played out so there will be more of that.

Hope you like it! and as always, REVIEW! don't know it any one has read the story yet but I know no one has reviewed yet :/


	6. Ch:2 Fade Away: Dude's Night

Rush

Chapter 2: Fade Away

Part 2: Dude's Night

"I think this will do." Chaz said as the three stopped in front of a bar after walking for a few minutes downtown. It was practically impossible to find a parking spot on the inner city so they paid the fee of a parking garage nearby and took the short walk. The bar was called _Finnegan's Wake_ and looked like the typical pub with dim lights, a large arrangement of hard liquors hanging on shelves behind the bar, a grill for the occasional hungry drinker and some hanging televisions with a sports talk show on every one.

"Well what are we doing out here for? I need a drink!" Larry blurted out.

"Geez, calm down Lare." Chaz said as he turned to head inside but he quickly stopped in his tracks, blocking the door enough to not allow the other two in. "Hold up."

"Why, what's wrong?" Fox asked.

"Cassandra's here." The panther let out a chuckled. "This is too perfect." He said as a grin stretched from cheek to cheek. He continued walking but in a different way. His shoulders were looser and laid back a bit. He strutted through the door and took a seat at the bar without even looking at the cheetah sitting casually at the other end of the bar. "TGIF am I right my friend?" He said to the rooster bartender loud enough for the entire bar to hear him but soft enough for people to think he was just a loud talker. Cassandra glanced up just enough to recognize the sly cat.

"Well you see….I'm still working." The rooster said with a dead serious face as he continued to buff a mug with a rag. He set the mug on a shelf behind him. "What can I get for ya?"

"Anything domestic. I like to help the boys here at home." He said softer than his previous statement but with the same confident and rambunctious tone. Fox and Larry slowly made their way to two seats to Chaz' left with Larry in the middle. They weren't too sure about their friend's sudden change of character but brushed it off anyway.

"Give me something strong." The older bird said with a sorrowful tone. Bartenders could read a whole new language called emotions. They could read it so well they know exactly what to get someone just by what one said and how he said it. This bartender was no different. He fixed up some blend with both a dark whiskey and a light rum and handed it to the bird. He then moved and stopped in front of Fox.

"I'll just take a water." He said humbly.

"Oh come on Foxie! Enjoy yourself, even if it may cost a little something." Chaz called out from the other end of the small pack of three.

"No, I said I'd help cover Larry." The vulpine said as he noticed the owl was already a few gulps down his drink. "I didn't say anything about spending money on myself."

"I'll tell you what." The rooster butt into their conversation. "My son-in-law was stationed at Fortuna a few years back and if your team didn't come to their aid, my daughter might be a widow right now. At least that's what he keeps saying. First drink is on the house. And by that, I'd suggest you get something worth it." The bartender said at a slight whisper, recognizing the 'great' McCloud and not wanting to bring any attention to the hero even if his actions at this time might be a little outdated and he might not be the attraction he was ten years ago.

"I appreciate that sir but–"

"That wasn't an offer." The rooster said sternly with a slight slant in his beak. He pushed a mug in front of Fox.

Fox stared at the empty glass, contemplating his next move. "Alright, something with stout." The bartender gave a friendly head nod and took the glass and filled it up with a dark colored brew. Shortly after, he returned and placed it in front of the fox.

"Wow Fox. Still a hero to some. I thought you said that faded away a few years back?" Chaz said without his strange bar attitude.

"I thought it did too." Fox said with truth and a bit of surprise in his statement.

"It's weird to think, Fox McCloud… working a full time job with a wife and kid, constant money problems, and drinking without his notorious teammates in a tiny local pub." The panther said the vulpine's name with glory and praise, then the following statement with speed and slight, but all in good taste, degradation.

Fox stopped mid sip of his drink to chuckle at the thought. "Yeah, I guess it is."

"Do you…ever miss it?" Chaz said a bit unsure if he should have.

"What?"

"The life of a mercenary! A famed ace and hero to the Lylat!" Larry finally threw his own words in. "All the action and glory?"

The vulpine looked down at the drink in his hand. "Yeah, sometimes. But you know what I miss the most?" He cocked an eye toward his drinking buddies.

"What?" Chaz said with interest.

"Not having to worry about this." Fox reached into his pocket and placed a few bills on the bar. "Three shots please!" He called out to the bartender who quickly served them, not having much else to do. Larry and Chaz shouted a hurrah. The three clinked their glasses together and downed the spirit. Fox let the bite settle a bit before placing down the shot glass and continuing on. "But you know what? I've got a great son and an amazing wife and even though they both get into my head sometimes, literally, I'm happy where I'm at." He finished his thought and took another swig of his beverage. The other two just nodded in content at his statement. They both slightly admired him because he was right to a point. They just didn't know how much he actually stressed over money. Other than that, it would seem like he had the perfect life. "Aaanndd, there's the awkward silence." Fox added which surprised the bird and cat he was with. They turned their heads and cocked an eyebrow. "Come on, let's not get all sappy with this stuff, let's get drunk!"

A smile grew on Chaz' face. He realized either for the first time in a while Fox was cutting loose, or he needed this bar just as much as Larry did. But he raised his glass in cheers anyway. "I hear ya there buddy." And took another sip. He couldn't help but shift his eyes in the direction of the cheetah he'd been hoping for. As soon as his eyes landed on her checkered fur, her eyes shifted away from his dark coat. He turned his head back and smiled. 'She was looking. Aw yeah.' He thought.

"Gah! The last gulp always has the biggest bite." The owl said as he slammed down his glass on the bar. "Another kind sir." He said to the bartender who came over and filled his glass with the same concoction.

"Heh, don't go over_bird_." Chaz said with a buzzed chuckle as he continued drinking his brew as well. At this time Fox's glass too became empty but it was magically refilled in a few seconds.

"Ha! Get it, he said over 'bird' 'cuz he's an owl!" Fox said sarcastically.

"Getting a little tipsy McCloud?" Chaz said coolly.

"Nope. Just like to ruin an already lame joke." He said with a sober smile.

"Heh, I'll take it." The panther said, somewhat admitting how bad his pun really was. "Come on, let's play darts." He said, taking his drink with him as he got out from behind the bar and moved more inward to the dart board on the other side of the room. Fox quickly followed but Larry was still sitting at the bar, slouching over his strong mixture.

Fox turned back to retrieve him. "Come on buddy, let's play some games to get your mind off of things." He placed his arm over the big bird's shoulder which seemed to be motivation enough for the owl to slowly creep up off the stool and head over to the dart board complete with a younger cat, holding all the darts ready to begin.

"You first, big guy. Show us what those great eyes of yours can do!" Chaz said unnecessarily loud again as he handed Larry three darts. The bird took them, focused his eyes and clumsily blinked a few times before zoning in on the target. Once he was locked on, he closed his eyes (as every owl does before it attacks) and let his dart-wielded wing move gracefully as his hand released the dart. Whether it actually was his owl tactics or just drunken luck, he nailed the first one right in the center.

"That's right." He said nonchalantly, changing his emotion to make him seem more stable and skillful.

"Well holy shit! Nice shot!" Chaz shouted. The bird continued firing at the dart board. The next shots weren't as amazing as his first but he ended up with a good score of 131. "My turn." Chaz said, plucking the darts from the cork circle hanging on the wall. He threw his first one which landed on the "1."

"Oh look at Chaz, sharpshooter over here." Fox said with a benevolent but completely sarcastic tone as he took another deep sip from his glass.

He had one eye closed and was gently moving his dart wielding hand forward and backward, aiming for his next throw. "Yeah, I'd like to see how you fair with all your 'pilot skills.'" He answered back under his breath a bit more spiteful. He finally released the dart. It hit a triple multiplier on the "20" after gliding through the air. "Oh yeah! That's right Foxie."

"Good shot my boy!" Larry said with an obvious fake British accent for no apparent reason.

Chaz threw the last dart with a final total of 79. "Not bad. Not good but not bad I guess." The cat coolly shook off. He picked up the darts from the hanging target and walked over to hand them to Fox.

As Fox stared at the approaching cat, he noticed over his shoulder, Cassandra looking at them. He also noticed her martini glass was empty. "Hey, she's been looking at you for quite a while Chaz. Maybe you actually do have a shot with her." He said with a smile.

"I know. But this cool cat hasn't even made his approach." He responded shrewdly.

"Well that 'cool cat' just sounded like an idiot, haha. Seriously, don't say that again." Fox chimed as he took the darts from the cat's paw. He quickly focused on the target and threw the first dart. He did the same for the second which landed on a slightly impressive double "18."

"Nice, nice." Chaz said, drinking from his glass as well. Fox landed a total tally of "64."

"Sweeeeeet, sweeeeet, sweet victory yeah." The old and already tipsy owl began to sing.

"Yeah, looking at you right now I'm almost positive it was luck." Chaz said conclusively.

"Agreed." Fox said.

"Well, I'm going to hit the men's room."

"Aww, he's already breaking the seal!" Fox and Larry shouted. Cassandra look up and chuckled a little.

"Yeah, yeah. Sorry if lunch was my last time going. Go ahead and start the next game. I'll be back." He said, placing his glass on a nearby table as he headed toward the back of the bar. Cassandra's table was next to the little hallway containing the restrooms so it was inevitable to pass by her table. And most likely part of the panther's plan as well. "Well hello." He said initially to get her attention. "Good day at work apparently." He said with friendly sarcasm.

"Same for you." She smiled with a bit bitter joking sarcasm. "Besides, I didn't really come here to talk about work."

"Fair enough. But just a cocktail? That's not usually the 'bad day at work' drink."

"So I like to enjoy myself." She friendly stated. "And watch people get beaten by an old drunk bird in darts. That must be embarrassing."

She was looking at him with a friendly yet at the same time, harassing smile. "What would you do if I said I let him win?" The cat said charmingly.

"First of all not believe you."

"Ah, I see how it is. Can't believe there are still gentlemen in the world." He said with a similar tone to the spotted cat's initial statement.

"Oh I believe there are." She said with a seductive smile. "And hopefully I can be proven that too." She began to spin around the toothpick that was resting in her empty martini glass.

"Well I could probably do that for you." Chaz said with a grin.

"Heh heh, enjoy the restroom. Then maybe we'll see." She finished their short conversation with a wink. Chaz smiled and continued on toward the men's room, trying not to show how bas he really had to go. He made sure he washed his hands before leaving, then stopped by Cassandra's table and extended a hand to help her out of her chair. She took it and joined the rest of the crew at the dart board.

"So…I think, I think the tally's at Larry, 1. Chaz, 4. Cassy, 4. Chaz and Cassy, tied at 4…. And I am close behind…with tree." Fox said thinking really hard after the amount of games they have played and drinks they have had.

"Alright, it's you and me missy." Chaz said as he was aiming another dart.

"Hm, you'll choke." The cheetah said with a chuckle.

The dart glided through the air and hit a triple "12". "Aw yeah! That's right!" He shouted extravagantly.

"Eiy, would d'ya keep it down!" A wolf with a noticeable Irish accent yelped from a stool at the bar as his head turned from a tv hanging above the bar to the group surrounding the dart table.

"Sorry dude, just having some fun!" Chaz shouted again, not caring about this volume. "Alright, not for number two…" He said more calmly as he threw another dart. It landed too close to the center but just out the rim on the "20" mark. "Awww! So close. But not bad. Not tbad." He said readying his final dart.

"Come on, screw up! It's going to happen." Cassy called out.

"Geez, you're mean." Chaz said jokingly. He threw the final dart and it landed dead center on the "1" mark. "Damn it!" He shouted as the rest of the group erupted in some laughs.

"That's right. My turn." Cassy said, lifting the darts from the board. She stumbled a few times before landed the first two on the edges of the "20" mark.

"This is it baby. Pressure's on." Chaz taunted her like she did to him earlier. She threw the final dart and it landed right on the "18". "Awww, so close. But it looks like you can't beat me." Chaz celebrated, unknowingly a bit too early.

"Well it looks like you can't count." She said coolly.

"What?"

"Ha! She's right Chaz, she beat you by one point!" Fox shouted out.

"Youuu sthuck!" Larry belched from a nearby table, resting from the overdose of 'relaxers' he had consumed.

"'bout bloody time. You've been playing that damn game for hours." The same wolf mumbled but the others either didn't hear him or ignored him.

The group sat down at the table Larry was practically passed out at. "I…am the champion…my friend." Cassy said with a drunken tongue.

"Gah, shut up." Chaz stated.

"Awww, is the big cat upset? It'll be ok." She said getting close to his face.

"I don't know. A loss in a game of darts can be such a blow to my self-esteem." He said sarcastically with his face still close to hers. She chuckled and leaned closer for a kiss.

"Whoooaaa." Fox called out at the two with humor in his voice. "Look at you two." He continued with a grin. Cassy pulled away and giggled a little. Chaz looked at Fox and gave a small head nod.

"Guys, what am I going to do about a job?" Larry said, not trying to bring everyone down but succeeded in doing so anyway.

Fox let out a sigh. "I'm sure you'll be alright. Maybe your wife could get a job as well. You know, to help out. Krystal got one." Fox stopped for a bit. "Oh Krystal…"

"Yeah, don't worry Lare. I'm sure things will work out." Chaz said with his hand now on Cassy's on top of the table.

"But what if it's not?"

"Then we'll storm into the bastard's office that fired you and kicks his ass!" The cheetah blurted out.

Fox chuckled a bit. "Exactly."

"Would you really do that for me?" Larry raised his head up to ask sincerely.

"Hell yeah we would!" Chaz shouted again as the entire group took Cassy's statement seriously.

"Thanks guys. You're zeh best." The bird said as he got up. "Welp. I guess I should be going. The misses is probably worried." He slurred as he made his way toward the door.

"Do you need a ride home Lare?" Chaz worriedly yelled as he watched the drunken owl stumble to the door.

"I'll call a cab!" He yelled back but just to be safe, Fox and Chaz watched him to make sure he was alright until, like he said, he hailed a taxi and got in.

"I bet Krystal's probably worried too. Oh, the money I've spent tonight! She's going to hate me…"

"No she won't! How could she hate you? I saw you two at that one year's Christmas outing." Chaz began to chuckle which turned Fox's already red face even more red. "She was all over you! And man, she has a thing for that eggnog." The panther continued to laugh which continued to embarrass the vulpine about how he had to take care of his drunken mate that night. Guess now she'd be returning the favor he thought. "Good thing it wasn't the family one. I'd hate to have the kids see that! I mean seriously, was she in heat or something?"

"Oh come on, it wasn't that bad!" Fox said beginning to get aggravated.

"Oh stop it." Cassy said, hitting Chaz on the arm. "I could tell she was a very friendly and controlled woman. I'm sure if she knew the eggnog was spiked she would have limited herself a bit."

"She did know." Fox mumbled under his breath.

Cassy missed Fox's little comment and continued on. "And no, it wasn't that bad. Chaz is just an ass."

"Ouch." He said a bit seriously. She gave him a flirting smile.

"Even so, that was a few years ago. I mean, I kind of miss how carefree she was. How we both were….Damn money!" He exasperated. "It's all the green's fault. We were happy, we were set, we were having fun. We started off well even when Marcus came along. Then all these money problems have been piling up and things have changed. We fight, we never see each other. I'm always at damn work, We only talk about money problems. We skimp out on normal things just to save money; I HATE IT!" He exploded. "Sometimes I think I should just rob a bank, like the damn Hilltop or something. I mean seriously!" On the other end of the pub, a small female jackal's ears perked up.

"I'm sorry Foxie. Things might get better, you never know." Chaz said, playing the comforter now.

"No they won't."

"Sure they will! You're a fighter Fox, you won't go down easy. You're a damn hard worker, which always pays off in the end."

"Bullshit." Fox mumbled.

"And not only that, you're a great husband and father."

Fox paused for a moment. "I guess."

"See, that's the spirit."

Fox looked up and saw Cassy looking around, obviously bored and not wanting to dive into Fox's problems at the moment. And he couldn't blame her, she only just met him officially. "You two can go if you want."

"What?" Chaz said, not thinking about leaving yet while Cassy simultaneously asked, "Really?" Chaz looked at his new friend and knew now why Fox made the comment. "Are you sure Fox?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Besides, I need to sulk a bit longer." He said with a smile.

"Heh, alright." Chaz got up and wrapped his arm around Cassandra's shoulders. They were almost at the door when he turned around, Cassy leaning on the panther heavily. "You sure you'll be fine?"

"Yeah, go have fun you two." He waved them on.

The two cat's looked at each other with a grin. "Alright. See you Monday Fox!" Chaz shouted out one last time before leaving the bar.

"Uhh!" Fox sighed as he roughly laid his head face down on the table.

"Well hey you." A soft but energetic female voice said right in front of the vulpine.

He couldn't see who it was but it was surely no one he knew so he just blew her off. "I'm married."

The female giggled a bit. "That's not why I'm here. Although that is some good information to know." Fox could not tell for the life of him if that was sarcasm or not. "You said something earlier that caught my attention."

"That I'm married?" Fox said, really trying to brush her away. He finally brought up his head to get a look at the annoying animal that kept bothering her.

"You really want to get rid of me don't you?" She said with a grin.

"Yup." Fox answered back sternly.

"I'm insulted. The name's Anput." She said casually as she sat down.

"Fox."

"McCloud. How could anyone not know?"

"I'm flattered. But still, I don't care."

"So mean! Well. I'm here to offer a helping hand." She said casually.

"To a random stranger in a bar?" The vulpine spat.

"Yes." She solely stated.

"Okay, whatever." He said still unsure.

"I wonder if this would be easier if you weren't smashed out of your mind."

"Probably." Fox hiccupped a small laugh.

Anput let out a light but annoyed smile. "Well. Apparently I can't be my normal charming self with you, sad case for you, so I'm just going to get on with it. Whether it was a drunken babble or you seriously wouldn't mind it, you suggested it so here I go." She said softly, almost to herself. "How you would like to solve all your money problems?"

"Is that even a question?"

"Taking that as a yes. Well a friend of mine is in a…certain business that could help you out."

Fox strained his heavy eyes as he tried to focus his blurred vision. His mouth opened then closed, then opened again where words finally left his lips. "This isn't some work at home scheme or timeshare is it?"

"What, timeshare?" She reacted very confused how that pertained to anything. "Do you honestly think I would be trying to make a 'work-at-home' deal with a drunk bastard in a bar?"

"Lady, I'm having a hard time trying to convince myself you'd help any drunk bastard in a bar." Fox truthfully stated.

Anput was frozen for a bit by the drunk vulpine's logic. "Touché. But in all reality, I think you'd end up helping my friend and I. Which is why I approached you in the first place. I would like to interest you in a heist job on the Hilltop Bank." She finally said bluntly, knowing if she did not get it out now, she might never.

Fox busted out laughing. The Irish wolf at the bar set down his second pint and starred over at them with a raised eyebrow. "Ok, let's rob a bank. Not only that, my bank!"

"Well that's even better." Anput said aloud to herself as Fox continued his rant.

"Such a great idea! Commit a felony, with some jackal who approached me in a bar, who has 'a friend,' so that I can solve my money problems."

"Honestly, I'm glad you don't understand, but the Hilltop has something special about it that my friend has been after for years." Anput gave a slight explanation.

"And on top of that, her shady ass friend is a thief!" Anput was taken back and utterly surprised he pieced that all together with such little information, while being completely intoxicated. "Sorry miss, I'd rather take my chances working through retirement to fix my money issues." Fox got up and was heading for the exit.

"Because that's entirely true." She squeezed in quick enough for him to hear. He turned around to say something but found her face right up in his. He felt a hand brush the side of his leg. It happened so quick, he forgot ream for whatever reason. "If you're interested." She said, smiled, and left the bar. The wolf was still eyeing the two.

Fox stood motionlessly, unsure of what all went down. He reached into his pocket and found a small note. "Three days, Holland's Point, twenty-two hundred hours." He said aloud. He crumbled up the paper and threw it aside and stormed out of the bar.

He thought of calling a cab but didn't want to spend so much money. Deep down he knew he wouldn't make it all the way from downtown to his house before morning by walking but maybe he could shorten the distance and there for the cost of the taxi.

"Haha, rob a bank." He said aloud. His face switched from a humor filled one to a serious one. But he quickly dismissed the slight thought he had of considering the offer. "Honestly, just approach a drunk stranger in a bar and ask him if he wants to rob a bank. The fucking Hilltop Bank!" His laughs continued until they slowly faded down the street. "I guess it kind of was smart." He began to consider through his monologue. He let out a few chuckles. "Not like I'd remember anyway." He felt a chill run through him. 'Unless that what she was expecting!' He thought. 'No.'

He kept walking until somehow, he showed up in front of the very same bar he left a while ago. "Fuuuck." He said, throwing his hand in the air, hailing a taxi. A cab pulled up with a mongoose driver. "Now I have to pay for a damn expensive cab." He mindlessly stated as he got in the back seat.

"Well you could walk." The mongoose spitefully said in retaliation.

"I tried buddy. Just drive." Fox said, not realizing they were already moving. He gave him the address to his house and the driver punched it into a GPS hanging from the windshield.

'She either was an idiot or really knew what she was doing.' Fox thought, continuing his monologue in head. 'And what does she need me for? Maybe I'm just so awesome.' A drunk grin spread on his face. 'Uhh, whatever. I just can't wait to get home!' He let out a small chuckle. 'Chaz is getting some tonight. Awww yeaah.' He continued smiling. 'It's been a while since Krys and I did anything.' Fox thought and his intoxicated logic somehow told him for that sole reason he was getting some too. 'Awww yeaah.' He smiled.

The cab pulled up to the house and Fox stumbled out. The driver held up a keypad and Fox swiped a card and scribbled a bad signature then waltzed up to the door. He knocked loudly all the while shouting Krystal's name. The kitchen light flicked on as Fox barely could see a vixen in a night gown coming down the stairs. She didn't bother turning on the living room lights as she approached the door. "Krsystal!" Fox shouted again.

"Fox, quiet down! Your son is sleeping!" Krystal angrily whispered back as she flicked the lock and opened the door.

Fox gasped at her statement and clasped a hand over his mouth. "We don't want to wake him. Trust me." He said through his hand.

Krystal sighed and rolled her eyes. "Just get inside."

"Score."

"What?" Krystal asked a bit confused as she closed and locked the door behind her husband.

"Come on Krys." Fox said resting a hand on her shoulder. "We should do it. It's been a while."

She stared with the same aggravated emotion. "You're drunk." She said monotone.

"So? We've been drunk before. Besides, remember that Christmas Party, haha. We talked about that."

The vixen's blue fur turned a slight tint of red. "Fox!"

'It has been a while.' She heard Fox think while he simultaneously gave her a wink.

"It has been a while." She said acceptingly.

"Yesssss." Fox whispered. He grabbed Krystal's hand and led her up to the bedroom, obviously turning out the kitchen light on the way up. They made it to the bedroom and Fox dive bombed onto the bed. He got on his hands and knees and started bouncing up and down.

"Let me just freshen up a bit." Krystal said as she went into the bathroom. She looked herself over in the mirror for a few moments before stopping. "He's drunk, I don't need to do anything." She left the bathroom to see Fox passed out with his arms spread out on the bed. His snores almost seemed louder than the yells he made to their front door. She let out a disappointed sigh. "Good night Fox."

* * *

><p>Looooonnnggg time for an update. My appologies but believe it or not, this was a hard chapter to write. And as a warning, updates will probably take this long because school is starting soon and I am going to kill myself over my studies if I want the GPA that will get me where I want to go in ROTC.<p>

Oh and look who showed up...ANPUT! :D

I said I didn't want her to die (if you read my TLK fanfic 'Alive' than you would know her). She is my favorite made up character so I had to include her. My plan from the beginning. Hope you liked this chapter!

REVIEW!


	7. Ch:2 Fade Away: Strange Thing to Decide

Rush

Chapter 2: Fade Away

Part 3: A Strange Thing to Decide

"Well hey you." Fox could hear that strange jackal's voice again. "About time you showed up. I was beginning to think such a brave hero was a little scared of some dirty work." She said with her normal tone where determining whether her statement was sarcastic or not was impossible. In reality, he only knew her for a few minutes and he was completely hammered during their encounter but here, he felt like he knew her for a while now.

"What do I need to do?" Fox caught himself saying. Suddenly a wave was heard crashing nearby but he couldn't see any water. He actually couldn't see any notable landmarks that would give him the slightest hint of where he was.

"All you need to do is enjoy your life. Live it worry free; take care of Krystal and Marcus; included them in an exciting life. Besides, it's not like your wife has been asking quite some time for some companionship." Her muzzle cocked toward a seductive grin.

"What do you mean?" He asked but she just chuckled at his inquiry.

"Sex. But not to be explicit though." Again with the sarcastic/non-sarcastic tone.

"Wh-what?" Fox was a little taken back by her lack of subtlety. But she just laughed.

"Ahh, you get embarrassed so easily Foxie! I love it." She began to turn and walk away. Her figure started to fade in the strange lack of scenery around them.

"Wait, so what do I have to do about this whole bank robbing thing?" Fox ushered before she was gone completely.

She stopped and turned her head halfway around. "Well the first thing would be to decide, don't you think?"

Fox's eyes popped open, staring at the ceiling of his unusually bright room. Instantly his body ached and his head throbbed in searing pain. "Uhhh." He moaned, closing one of his eyes and squinting the other. He slowly crept out of bed, taking a short moment to gain his balance upon standing up, hobbled over to the window and closed the blinds. It only helped a little. "What time is it…" He mumbled to himself, trying to focus his hung-over eyes to view the large digital numbers on his alarm clock.

"Probably early enough for you to still be sleeping, what with how drunk you were last night." Krystal said, leaning on the pain of the doorway.

"Ugh. I don't even remember getting home." Fox said truthfully. Most of the night before was just a blur.

"I'll go get some ibuprofen." She said with a bit of humor in her throat.

"Thanks." The vulpine responded softly, and to an empty room as he sat back down on the bed and missed seeing her leave.

But she wasn't gone long and returned with three white pills and a small glass of water. "Here."

He took the pills and tossed them in his mouth. He swallowed them easily without the water but drank the glass anyway. "Thanks." He smiled, trying to hide how much pain he was in at the moment.

Krystal leaned in and gave him a quick kiss. "No problem." She smiled back and left, taking the glass with her.

Fox ran his paws through the fur on his head, then finished with rubbing his eyes a bit. "Uhh. What happened last night?" He said to himself. He jogged his memory, trying to piece back the night. He remembered clear as day arriving at the bar up until the dart game, but then things got fuzzy as he tried to recall everything else. Chaz and Cassandra hooked up. There was that Irish accented wolf that kept yelling at them. Larry left in a cab. The two wild cats headed back to one of their places….Then there was the jackal. Fox let out a few chuckles. He couldn't tell if it was his super drunkenness that thought she was saying what she was saying or if she actually wanted his help to rob the Hilltop Bank. He dismissed the small dilemma with a few more small laughs, and got up toward the bathroom for a shower.

As the water helped wash away his hangover, he still couldn't get his mind of the scattered memories of the night before. He couldn't remember the last time he felt so relaxed and carefree. But that did not last long because then he focused on how much money he probably spent the night before. He let out a sigh as he noticed he finished washing up. He turned off the water and let the steam and mist clear for a bit. Pulling away the shower curtain and grabbing a towel, the fox saw himself in the slightly fogged up mirror. He wiped it off to get a clearer image and saw an animal in need of help. A small cackle escaped his throat. "Robbing a bank would help." Fox said more jokingly and less seriously.

He moved out of the bathroom and into the bedroom where Krystal was sitting on the bed. Fox smiled as he noticed her eyes drift from his face to the towel wrapped around his waist and back up to his eyes. "You got the bar scent off of you, now how about that bar 'feeling?'" She said lightheartedly.

"It's still lingering a bit." Fox answered back with a similar tone. He moved over to the dresser and began getting dressed. "So I assume you and Marcus already had breakfast?"

"Don't worry, we saved some for you. He's downstairs watching cartoons right now." She responded as Fox finished dressing and sat next to her on the bed. "Sausage and eggs but you might have to reheat them."

"I figured." Fox said as he relaxed his back and abs and let his upper body fall onto the bed. He laid there with arms sprawled out and eyes fixed on the ceiling.

"Guess 'lingers' means more for you than it does me." Krystal said with a light laugh as she got up and headed out of the room. "I'll put your food in the microwave." Fox just lay there, thinking for a moment.

And of course, the first thing that visit's the vulpine's mind when in deep thought is money. Having to refinance their house numerous times in the recent past has made him uncomfortable about his future financial security. His current wages are seemingly not enough to cover the ever increasing money demand of even a small family like his. And in a short ten years or so, he'd be worrying about loans and money for college. 'It all started off so easily.' He thought. Visions of covering his recently married wife's eyes as he guided her through the small front lawn to a good vantage where he swiftly removed them from her face to reveal an older styled but recently renovated house floated through his mind. Then he picked her up and they briefly rubbed noses before heading into the house and the beginning of the rest of their lives. They sat down on new furniture bought by the earnings of the retired mercenaries without a care in the world.

Krystal and Marcus now, he thought, would never feel that way. Many times he heard her sigh behind closed doors or from another room. Even the thought bringing up the topic of anything money related, even if it's a quick reminder to turn off the lights in an unused room he felt was a constant reminder of how trying to pinch pennies to help even in the slightest bit has involuntarily consumed their lives. The financial fear was always present. How will they support themselves over the few years? What if Fox gets injured and can't work? What if Krystal had to take up another job? What if the lack of time shared between the two and their son grew even more? Fox squinted his eyes closed and rubbed them with his fingertips.

Marcus didn't know how much it all was affecting him. Lucky him. He just thought it was part of everyday life. It won't be until he's older that he realizes the situation he has lived in his whole life. And the family friends. They don't even know how bad it is. How could they? What being would voluntarily let their friends know how poor and financially insecure they were? Attention? Pity? All of those were for the weak as Fox kept telling himself. And he was damn sure he was not weak. He did not want to burden any more people with his problems than he'd have to. That was just the kind of person he is.

How could he get out of this dilemma? There was no easy way and years of hard work never paid any good person off well. The good never get rewarded, so why do the good keep being good? Hope was the only possible answer. But his life seemed so stagnant at the moment; there was nothing he could do to help his financial situation unless a minimum of ten grand fell into his lap. And just like that, he was back on the crazy idea proposed by that jackal in the bar.

Robbing a bank. Fox huffed humorously. He never thought he'd ever actually, in the slightest bit, be considering robbing a bank. Maybe he should? He's performed more dangerous tasks, evaded more secure systems, and risked his life as a career so why would this be any different? Why would it be more difficult? Be then he realized, he had no way of contacting the jackal, at least of what he can remember. He couldn't even remember the lady's name.

He slowly rose up using all the power of his abs, which for some unexplained reason was sore like no other, and let his mind reset to the present reality. He got off the bed and headed downstairs for the delayed breakfast that was waiting for him in the microwave.

"Mornin daddy." Marcus called out from the living room couch before Fox could even get into sight of the young telepath.

"Hey Marcus, how's my little wingman doing?" Fox said cheerfully. Sometimes it just felt good to hear his son's voice and guess this was one of those times.

"Good. Mommy says we might have to lose the tv soon." He said nonchalantly, not realizing what that meant, as his eyes were focused on the moving pictures.

Fox was a bit taken back by this statement but it was true, they have talked about cutting cable to save money. It was actually a surprise to him they haven't yet. "No, we won't lose the television, just maybe some of the channels." Fox stopped there not wanting to tell him how he might not be able to watch some of his favorite shows. He sat down at the table and pulled his plate of food out of the microwave. "Where is your mother anyway?"

"Oh yeah. She wanted me to tell you, they called her in today for the daycare. She left quickly." The young pup said with a childish slur.

"Ah." The small noise that came through his lips didn't do justice to how he felt. He was a bit disappointed he wouldn't be able to spend time with her today. One of the things he looked forward to on the weekends but their time together was draining and draining through time. "So I was thinking we could go to the park today and toss around a baseball or something?"

"Really!" Marcus exclaimed with perked up ears as his head snapped to face his father for the first time since Fox emerged out of the confines of his bedroom.

"Yeah. What do you think?"

"I'll go get my glove!" He said, getting up from the couch and ran to his room.

"You're not going to let me finish breakfast?" Fox shouted to the kid as he bolted passed the table he was sitting at and ran up the stairs, skipping every other step, but he was gone before he could hear his father's entire request.

He came back downstairs with a small ball glove and a hat trademarked with their favorite team. "Ready?"

Fox began shoveling the rest of his food in his mouth. "Rebby." He said as if a chipmunk storing an overflow of food in his cheeks, making Marcus laugh. Fox headed to the garage to get his glove and a ball. He opened the door and saw Krystal's car. "Hey Marcus? Why is your mother's car still here?"

"She said it's broke so she took yours." He said, gently tossing a ball in the air. Fox sighed; another bill for the mechanic and another headache for him.

"Good thing the park's not too far. Come on, we'll walk." He said, leading his son to the front door with a hand gently placed on his shoulder.

The two left the house, Fox locked the door behind him, and began their trek down their street's sidewalk to the park a few blocks away.

"Dad, why do you and mom worry about your allowance so much?" Marcus said, cutting the small silence between them.

"Our what?" It took him a moment to under what his son was saying but finally he understood what he meant by _allowance_. "Oh, we don't worry so much about it." He lied. "It's just we don't get a lot and it can get stressful sometimes."

"But you get some right? Your daddy didn't get rid of yours before he died did he?" The pup asked sincerely.

Fox chuckled a little. "I get my 'allowance' from my boss and no, I still get it." Fox didn't know if he was trying to imply how he and Krystal cut his allowance or if he was just concerned so he figured he'd ask about it. "Are you still doing fine without allowance Marcus?"

"Yup. You and mom buy stuff anyway. And besides, like you said allowance is earned and I haven't cleaned my room in a while." He said a bit softly with a sense of remorse about not cleaning his room.

"That's alright son. How about we get some ice cream after we toss the ball around?" Fox asked mainly to cheer the kid up.

"But we haven't even gotten to the park yet?" Marcus asked confused.

Fox smiled and ruffled the white tuft of fur on his son's head. "That's why I said after isn't it?" Marcus smiled. And conveniently enough, they turned one last corner and was at the entrance of the park.

"Come on!" Marcus said as he ran off to a small opening, partly shaded by a large oak. Fox leisurely walked to him as his son quickly turned and tossed the ball in the air. The vulpine reacted quickly and caught the ball as it was passing his left side.

"Whoa, good arm son!" He said, throwing the ball back to him.

Back and forth, back and forth the ball went between the two foxes. Marcus occasionally would imitate the pitchers in the major leagues and would swing his knee almost to his face to throw the ball. It was clear he didn't know the proper form because nearly every time, the ball would go on some vector far off of Fox's direction causing him to either run after to the ball to retrieve it or to try and dash to catch it.

"So I heard about your little camping trip with Jake's family next weekend. You excited?" Fox asked, bringing back the conversation.

"Oh I can't wait. Jake was saying something like he was anti–" The cub caught the ball and stopped, trying to make out the twisted word he was thinking of. "Antipate? Antiput? Anputi–"

"Anticipate?"

"Yeah, anputate." Marcus said one more time trying to pronounce it.

Fox smiled. "Anticipate. Say it with me."

He slowly said, "Ant-i-ci-pate" while Marcus simultaneously continued with "An-put-i-tate."

"Not Anput, anti–" Fox froze. He could hear his son still struggling with the word but that wasn't his focus at the moment. Anput. That was the jackal's name. A strange name, he thought, but sure enough he remembered now.

"Anticipate. Anticipate!" Marcus finally said in the background of Fox's senses. But he was too focused on the quick thought of the night before. He couldn't remember practically anything but he was sure now that that was the jackal's name, Anput. "Dad?" But Fox was too zoned out to hear him. "Dad." He said one more time, bringing Fox out of his trance.

Fox shock his head a bit to get back to himself. "Good job son! You learn something new every day." He smiled. Marcus threw his father the ball and said the word aloud again.

Marcus let a few more tosses in before bringing up another thought of his. "Dad? This kid from mommy's work," Because he still occasionally spent time there, he didn't like to refer to it as daycare. "says that his dad says you are a washout. What does that mean?"

Fox squinted a bit, trying to think for himself. "Well it could mean different things. What was this kid saying?" Fox tossed the ball.

Marcus caught it. "Well," He threw it back to his father. "He says you were once a big hero and now are a washout."

The ex-mercenary contemplated what that could mean. He thought it was funny how anyone would even dare saying any mercenary, especially of his status, was a washout. Though he did feel like he was fading away, he had a family now and that was his top priority. "Well I guess he is right in a sense."

"Really?" Marcus questioned.

"Yup. But it's not necessarily a bad thing. My father was just like me. Had a great son and a family but the difference between him and me was he never quit his job as a 'hero' as I have. And sadly, grandpa died when I was really young. I don't want that to happen to us." He explained.

"Oh." The pup said, sounding a bit sad. Though he never met his grandpa, or any of his grandparents, he felt some pity for them even if he didn't know why.

"So next time that kid says that, you can tell him his father is a washout too." Fox smiled and got a smile in return from his son.

A bit of time passed and Fox and Marcus came walking into the door licking cones of ice cream. They plopped their gloves on the couch and sat on the opposite one. The sticky substance was plastered over the two's muzzles almost identically. Fox was down to the bottom of his cone and threw it in his mouth to finish it off. Marcus still had a few bites left.

Fox got up to wipe off his mouth when he saw a note from Krystal that he must have missed earlier that morning. "Bank called. Everything is good with last month's payment."

And like a sprawling disease that crawls over the conscious with only the slightest reminder, he was thinking of Anput's proposal again. Why was he so acclimated to even considering robbing a bank? Was he that desperate for money? His mind kept running through the blur of the few collected memories of the night before. 'If you're interested.' He remembered her saying at one point. She was real close to his face. Her seductive and almost sinister smile brought up mixed emotions. He felt her hand brush up on his right leg. He remembered reaching into his pocket and finding a note but could not for the life of him remember what it said. He quickly headed up stairs to search the pockets of his jeans from the night before.

He flicked on the light and nearly dove toward the hamper in the closet. He found the jeans relatively quickly as they laid on top but the pockets were completely vacant. He sighed as the memory started of him crumbling up the paper and throwing it in the corner of the bar.

He came back downstairs and saw his car pull up in the driveway. Krystal was back. It didn't take long for her to get out and enter the house.

"So you're _on call_ now." Fox said as she came in and dropped her keys on the end table next to the door.

"Yeah, at least it seems like it." She responded and greeted Fox with a peck on the lips.

"At least you're not out too late. So what's wrong with the car?"

"I don't know. It just wouldn't start. It wouldn't turn over at all." She answered, having a little mechanical knowledge since she, like the other Star Fox members, occasionally worked on her ship when Slippy was busy. "Maybe it's the fuel injector, either giving too much or too little fuel. It's has been accelerating a little rough recently."

Fox squinted his eyes a bit which caused his facial expression to mimic his emotion. "Why is this the first time I've heard of this?"

"I didn't think it was a big deal until this morning." She said a little defensively, mentally detecting his emotions a bit. "I called a tow. He'll be here at four."

"Jesus, Krys! That'll be another payment we don't need. I could have just taken time to look at it, it's probably nothing." Fox slammed her. Marcus looked up at them and slowly got off the couch and silently left for his room.

"It's not like I didn't look at it already! Besides we can't get it checked out if it won't start."

Fox withdrew a large and heavy sigh all the while, rubbing his eyes. "God damn it. Well I need to go with the tow guy to speak to the mechanic." He said, half to himself and half to his wife. "This is exactly what we need." He said now fully to himself.

"Sorry." Krystal said sarcastically and enthusiastically and left for upstairs as well.

Fox sat down on the couch and thought for a bit. This is _exactly_ what they need. But there was nothing more that could be done but wait for the tow guy to arrive and for him to speak with their mechanic. At least they had a good mechanic and not some crappy dealer that charges a bunch of money for a nothing of a job. He's been going to this guy for years and found that he was trustworthy, honest, and knew his stuff.

So for the next short while, Fox sat there waiting for the tow guy to come pick up Krystal's car. And with all of what has been going on, he couldn't escape the constant and worrisome thoughts that have poisoned his mind for a while now. Where was he going to get the money for the repairs? He hardly had enough to cover the monthly bills. And if Krystal was right in the fact that it was the fuel injector, it was going to be a few hundred to fix because in order to get to the fuel injector, they'd have to drop the entire fuel tank. And then the replacement costs, and then they'd have to put the fuel tank back.

Fox realized she probably was right. She had taken off from being a strange girl who left her jaw open at all the mechanics of the Great Fox to a skilled pilot with heavy technical knowledge. Then he became aware of what just happened between him and her. As if he was possessed at the time, he suddenly remembered yelling at her and their little quarrel over the car. He threw his head back to where it hit the backrest of the couch with a 'thump.' And this was the day he was supposed to spend time with her. Now he shooed her off to their room probably to read while he was sitting on the couch for god knows how long to take the car off to the mechanic.

And just like every other argument they've had, money seemed to be the root of it. If only they could get out of the never ending hole of the troubles of finances. He has kept his head above water so far but the current is strong and he doesn't know how long he will last. He has hoped long enough just to get to the other side but the 'other side' has never been in sight. Countless times he has reviewed the get-rich-quick schemes on television and imagined himself as the lemur that is speaking too quickly to be anything close to cognitive as he throws cash around saying "You could be me!" Instead of being the troubled worn-out hero on an inner-suburban couch.

"It's like robbing a bank. Only easier!" The same lemur shouted with a strange cackle. Fox's ear's perked up at the coincidence of the infomercial. But the strange thing was that when he raised his head to look at the television, he saw it was off.

'I'm either going crazy or am really considering this heist job.' He thought entirely scared of whichever outcome was the real reason for the strange way his subconscious was acting lately. His internal voice mail began replaying Anput's message over and over. If only he could remember what the note said that she handed him. He was sure it was like a phone number or something, some way to get in contact with the unusual jackal. Unless he would be able to push through the barrier of his oblivious drunken mind, he would never remember what he saw, heard, or ever thought during the night before.

But like a timer, a few knocks sounded from the door to call the worrisome creature to turn off his thoughts before they cooked him too long. He got up and went to the door and led the raccoon in a tow man's jumpsuit to the garage. Fox got in the car and switched it to neutral where the raccoon helped push it out to the street where it could be hooked up easier. Once they got it lined up right, Fox left for the raccoon to do his job.

He went back into the house and shouted up the stairs, "Krys, the tow guy is here!"

"Be down in a minute." She called back.

"Bring Marcus." Fox responded, not thinking he was old enough to be home alone even for a short time. And like Krystal said, she was heading down the stairs with Marcus following in a short matter of time. "I just need you to take me there and back. Shouldn't be long."

"Ok. Is the car towed up?" She asked, moving to her purse that rested on the kitchen table to dig through them for her sunglasses. Once she found them she pulled them out, shook them lightly to let a pen that got caught in the rim to fall back in the purse, and placed them over her green eyes.

"Yup. He has already headed off to the mechanic." He answered after watching Krystal's little dance with the contents of her purse.

"Can I bring my GameBoy?" Marcus asked, either coming to the realization of the fact he would be sitting in a car for a while, or reading one of the two's mind to find the same answer.

"Hurry up." Fox commanded as the little tike dashed up the stairs to get it from his room. "Listen Krys, about earlier."

But she cut him off before letting him finish. "Hey, it's not like it's the first time that's happened."

"You're really not making me feel any better." He retorted with a guilty smile.

She smiled back. "Listen. I know you're stressed. You may be able to close me out of your mind when you want but I can still tell how you feel. I mean hell, the way you display your emotions I'm sure anyone could." She said softly, causing her husband to give a small chuckle which told her he was at least a bit comforted. "As long as you don't lose what's important. You, me, and–"

"Here!" Marcus said returning with a small handheld gaming device.

"Alright, everyone in the car." Fox said intentionally leaving Krystal's words to dangle in the air for a bit. One of his ways he liked to joke with her. She turned around with a grin and quickly gave him a wink. Fox smiled and followed the small pack to his car.

The drive was only a few minutes but that would only be the easy part. He seemed like he was sitting in the waiting room forever. And then when he got to the speak with the owner, he seemed like he was listening to the fat rabbit's babbles for hours. One thing Fox hated was when he was spoken too as if he had no knowledge of the topic. At numerous points of the rabbit's conversation, Fox wanted to shout out at him that he was an Arwing pilot and constantly worked in the docking bay on his fighter but every time he had the chance, the rabbit would close that window as soon as the vulpine opened his mouth.

"So depending on whether it's the fuel injector or the diode piston charger, or a combination of both, we should have an estimate in a day or two and have it fixed in a few days after that." The fat rabbit finally concluded.

Fox looked back at the car and saw Krystal and Marcus waiting patiently. He turned back to the rabbit. "Yeah, great. Can I speak with Ratchet?"

"Er, umm. Sure." The rabbit stuttered, a bit taken back at his statement but couldn't really deny him of the request. "Yo, Lombax! Get over here!" The rabbit shouted, not even having the courtesy of going back to retrieve him like the professional he should be.

Not long after, a crash was heard followed by a shallow 'shit' and out of the garage with a few dirt marks on him arose a rat like creature with large ears. "What's up."

"You better not have broken anything in there." The rabbit said almost threateningly.

"Nothing of importance. What do you need?" He responded brushing it off like nothing.

"Mr. McCloud wants to speak with you." The rabbit said, leaving the two alone as he waddled back to his office where he just played solitaire for most of the day.

"Fox, how's it going?" The lombax said cheerfully as he rubbed off his paw with a towel and shook Fox's extended hand.

"Well, as much as I like seeing you, I hate that I have to pay to do so."

"I know what you mean. As the bucket of lard with ears probably told you, the problem with your wife's car is either the fuel injector or the diode. Now, just from what I've looked at, it looks like the diode which is a more serious problem but lucky for guys like us, is an easy fix and does not cost much. Now, radar ears over there told me to check the fuel injector anyway just to tack a few more numbers onto your bill but if I know my job, which hell if I don't, your fuel injector is fine. I should have it fixed… some time the day after tomorrow?" Ratchet finished with a question partly directed to himself and partly to see if Fox approved, after all he was the customer.

"That would be great!" Fox said with a perked up expression.

"Great! I'll get working on it as soon as I can."

"I swear Ratch, you should be running this place. You've got the work ethic, the knowledge and the service of a great man. Wish I could say the same for your boss." Fox said truthfully.

"Hey, I'm glad you can't." He said with a chuckle. "Besides, wouldn't mind the pay of someone who just sits around all day." He said as the two turned his head toward the rabbit's window that looked into his office, displaying him with his feet on his desk watching a small tv.

Fox huffed a bit. "Well, that's what we get. Masters of our professions, shit in the financial box."

"I hear ya there."

"Well, listen, I appreciate your work. You're only reason I keep coming back here. Now I probably need to get going. I hate to have the wife and kid baking in the car for any longer." He finished again, turning to see Krystal and Marcus waiting for time to tick by.

"I understand. Say hello to Krystal and Marc for me!" Ratchet said as he gave them a wave and shook Fox's paw again before heading back into the garage.

They departed and Fox got into the car. "Well that took longer than normal." Krystal said coolly.

"Well if I would just speak to Ratchet first this would be much easier and quicker." Fox explained.

"He's a good guy." Krystal said, also taking note of the lowly mechanic's good character.

"Now let's get home, I'm ready to kick back for the day." Fox said, turning the key which smoothly started his engine. Hopefully, Krys' car would start like that in a few days. They trusted that it will.

As Fox pulled out of the parking lot, he looked across the oncoming traffic and saw a street sign. Didn't take note of it at first, but it sounded familiar; 'Holland's Point Boulevard.' He did a double take before it finally clicked. "Three days, Holland's Point, twenty-two hundred hours." That was what the note said. It wasn't a phone number but it was a point of contact. His thoughts were going wild. Now he had a time and place to meet with the crazed jackal. Once again, he was baffled that he was actually considering it, but this time there was no fooling himself. He was actually thinking of meeting with her. Now all he had to do was decide.

"Something wrong Fox?" Krystal said as Marcus too raised his head up, taking his eyes off the game between his thumbs for the first time in a while, both noticing a sudden change in Fox's synapsis' and emotions.

"Nothing. I'm fine." He grinned.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Holy Shit! I think the longest update I've ever had. A month maybe? But this might be more typical because I didn't realize how little time I'm going to have for myself this semester. Like I said, I don't want this story to die even though it might take a while to finish but I think I've gotten far enough that I can't stop.

So this concludes chapter 2, hope you like it and as always, REVIEW and ENJOY!


	8. Ch:3 Joker and the Theif: Two Days Time

Rush

Chapter 3: Joker and the Thief

Part 1: Two Days' Time

Sunday morning. Fox was lying in his bed mindlessly staring at the ceiling. So much has happened in just the past few days for the vulpine; he didn't know how to take it all in. He was expecting himself to wake up from this strange dream and a little anxious to do so as well so that he could tell Krystal or Marcus, or even Chaz or Larry about it and laugh about it later. But to no avail, he remained fully conscious in that king size bed of his. He took a large deep breathe, then exhaled in an extravagant way.

Krystal began to stir and rolled to her right side, moving her head close to Fox's neck. Whether she was asleep or in a half daze, Fox didn't care to find out. His mind was elsewhere.

'Three days.' He thought. Well, one day was already done and through. So Anput was expecting to meet him in two days. He chuckled in his head when the thought of why the jackal chose a Monday to rendezvous.

As if she was trying to distract him from the distraction he was already occupied with, Fox felt Krystal's hand move gently up and down his chest. He grasped it in his paw and began to rub his thumb on the back of her hand, still thinking about this 'job proposal.'

He figured he was running in circles: why would he rob a bank? But the money would be nice. It would solve all his financial problems. He could easily get away with it. But he'd be robbing a bank! And thus the circle continued.

'It must be a joke or something.' This was not the first time the thought crossed his mind. Why would anyone approach any old random drunk vulpine for assistance in a heist? He figured it was something to do with his name and fame, but how? There was really no way for him to figure any of these things out without going to meet the crazy jackal at Holland's Point. And who did she say her 'friend' was? Fox raised his free hand up to his face and rubbed his eyes a bit. He was so drunk he could have just imagined the whole thing from something he heard someone say. He had no idea.

Krystal fidgeted again but this time, she rolled onto her other side which Fox used as an opportunity to escape her gentle grasp and get out of bed. He cautiously slid out from under the covers to evade waking his wife and moved toward the bathroom. He looked in the mirror and noticed something he hadn't noticed in a while. He was getting older. His eyes were sagging a bit from so much stress, his ears weren't as perky, and his muzzle didn't curve with the confidence it once had as a mercenary. The fast and exciting part of his life was over long ago. He was now in the retired, fatherhood stage where caring for his family was top priority. It was a choice he never regretted, even as he almost was looking at a whole different person in that reflective surface. But he knew it was best for him and Krystal and now for Marcus as well. He thought, however, if only he could re-live some of that excitement.

But none of that mattered. Peppy once told him when Star Fox broke up that by leaving the mercenary life to raise a family was the choice his father mistakenly didn't take. Fox has kept that to heart ever since and knew, as he has known before, he'd have to pay the price for other's to live better. Except in this case, it was his family he was working to have better lives.

He left the bathroom, not remembering entirely why he went in there the first place. He slipped back into bed still feeling a bit tired and wanting to catch at least another hour of his normal restless sleep. And so he was back to where he began, lying in bed with his eyes locked on to some imaginary point on the ceiling just as he was before. The only difference was that his arms were crossed behind the back on his head, propping it up a little.

"Two days' time." He mumbled. Again a grin was planted on his face.

*o*

"Do you think he will show up?"

"I have no idea."

"Heh, that'd be amazing if he does."

"It would be damn perfect if he does."

It might seem like an odd pairing, if one would even call it that, but sitting on a few crates in a dark and damp warehouse was Anput fiddling with the hood straps of her hoodie, talking to a peculiar colored black and red hedgehog. The hedgehog was standing firm with his arms crossed across his chest. His long sleeved jacket conveniently was covering a number of scars that marked his arms and chest. He was not the loud instigator type, but more of the quiet reserved tough guy. He had been through a lot and how he lived his life showed it and that was about all that was shown about his past. He never brought it up to anyone; not even the jackal he was collaborating with.

Anput hopped down from sitting on the crate and walked up to the hedgehog. "So Shades, what will be the plan if he doesn't show?"

"How many times do I have to tell you that's not my name? You don't hear me calling you Annie." The hedgehog responded still with his solid composure and low near monotone calm voice.

"I couldn't imagine if you did, _Shadow_. And besides, you don't like the little pet names?" She said emphasizing the hedgehog's name to adhere to his request while switching to her normal playfully sarcastic tone of voice for the second part of her statement.

"I'm going to ignore that."

Anput just smiled. "So, you still haven't answered my question. If the fox doesn't have the balls to do it, are we still going to go for the Hilltop?"

"It's not a matter of guts, it's a matter of desperation. And yes we will. It will just be much harder."

"Harder, how about impossible!" She exaggeratedly responded.

"Yeah, most likely. But we've done the impossible before." Shadow curled his eyes toward the jackal with a small hidden grin. "Well. I have at least."

"Yeah, shut it. Let's just focus on the task at hand. What if he brings anyone we don't approve of?"

"He won't. That I'm sure of."

"Yeah? And what makes you say that?" Anput asked, showing some serious doubt.

"Because a man with that kind of honor wouldn't do that. He wouldn't show up with a wire or with a police force behind him. He'd take it all upon himself and deal with it accordingly." Shadow explained as if he knew the vulpine personally.

"And once again, how can you be sure of that? What if he does bring a police force to try and take us down?" She said with a raised eyebrow.

"He doesn't know who we are does he." The hedgehog asked sternly as his eyes pierced through the jackal.

"You're little death stare won't brake me." She said with a sinister grin of her own. "He doesn't know who you are and no one knows who I am. So we're good. And I guess I shouldn't be worried. Even if he is a rat, you wouldn't mind would you. You'd just have a little fun right?" She said with her playful expression again.

"Yeah, fun." Shadow said as turned his back away from the sound of her voice.

"Sooo…"

The hedgehog's head cocked only slightly to where the mere edge of his pupils could be seen by the jackal, standing still with the same playful expression. "_So_ what?"

"So are we going to continue planning for the next two days or are you going to take me to some nice restaurant?" It seemed there were two main tones of voice with this woman, a sarcastic one and one that not even the most skilled linguist couldn't tell if she was being serious or not. The latter being implemented this time around.

Shadow just rolled his eyes and turned back to face the opposite direction to walk away. "Don't ever have the slightest hope."

Anput just smiled competitively. "Worth a shot." She whispered before slowly walking behind him. "So we wait for foxy, rendezvous the arrangement and just hope for him to join us? What about the rest of the crew? This isn't some simple thievery that we have to perform, this is the Hilltop we are talking about. This is a heist. We're going to need a go-to man, someone who'll be getting down and dirty with the heavy stuff," at this time she caught up to Shadow. He glanced at her with a raised eyebrow, sending a mental message which she received clear as day. "alright, we have that guy. Aren't we supposed to have some tech geek to tell us 'the van is leaving!' and some quiet or reserved kind of guy to save us all in the end with a surprise eruption of badassness that no one saw coming?"

"I didn't know we were directing a Hollywood Action Thriller." Shadow said less comically than it sounded.

"Oh shut up, you know what I mean." The hedgehog continued his glance towards her. "Ok, in another words, aren't we going to need more people?"

"You act as though I've never stolen something before. How long ago was it that you ran into me trying to shoplift at a jewelry store? And like I said, how you were trying."

"Damn Shades, you don't have to be so critical. How many times have I actually played a big role in your dealings? She rebuked.

"Not much. And you've never seemed to wonder why." He slyly tacked on to the end of his answer. Then his mind switched to something he seemly overlooked no matter how many times he was used to it. "And once again, how many times do–"

"How many times do you think I'll listen?" She said friskily.

"Honestly none." He said admittingly.

"Good, we've finally gotten to know each other." Anput's sarcasm again was as present as the time they were in. They came to the small door next to the large storage door, allowing people to come and go without the necessity of opening the exaggerated sized door next to it. Shadow opened the door and let Anput out first. The light from the outside erupted the dark warehouse with a new light. Anput had to squint for her eyes to adjust to the changing light. Shadow followed her through the door and closed it behind them, locking it with a single key he had in his hand. "So we're calling it a day?" Anput said, turning around to a vacant spot between her and the door. She looked up and saw Shadow on the roof of the warehouse.

"A peculiar spot to have a spare key." He said before dropping it in a small artificial slot made in the gutter.

"Unless they never need it, why hide it someplace obvious?" She said to answer his question with complete seriousness.

"To save me the trouble." He said as he jumped down, grabbed the post of a light that extended from above the large storage door and swung over to a pile of crates that stood lower than his position but up against the warehouse and tall enough for him to make his landing. And without even barely placing a foot on the crates, he lunged forward, performed a flip for show, and landed on the ground with a roll. He got up and started walking as if nothing happened.

*o*

Back in his studio apartment, more like a tenement square, Paddy was sitting there on his bed staring down at a small crumpled up piece of paper. He tried and tried to get himself out the gutter but it seems that his family would be nothing but an unfortunate poor pack even for generations to come. He leaned back and clicked on the television. To a slight contentment, Rugby was on for some strange reason and not seeing a match since he played in high school back in Ireland, he decided to watch it. The entire time, he was running the piece of paper between his fingertips.

The wolf couldn't focus on the game though. Constant thoughts were running through his head as they normally did. He only had about an hour of free time each day and soon he'd have to hit the streets to try and find some reasonably priced food. His stomach roared louder than the television at times but he didn't care; he was used to the rumble.

Again his head tilted down to the paper in his hand. "Such a strange thing to address to anyone for that matter. Let alone in a bar." He began to bat the piece of paper between his paws as his eyes drifted toward the Rugby game. The team with the white jersey just pried the ball out of a dog pile and lateralled to a teammate. He was just about to be taken out but he did the same to another teammate who skillfully caught the ball with one hand and dashed for the endzone. He got tackled across the line but used the opponent's force to ground the ball under his already pinned chest for the score. The crowd went wild. Paddy let out a small smirk. To be glorified by hundreds of people you've never met was something he would never experience.

He let out a heavy sigh and fell his tired back on his old and hard mattress. He stared up at the ceiling and noticed movement. He focused on the object and saw small pincers break through the thin ceiling. It was a bug, trying its hardest to bust through the barrier between the open room and the rafts above it and once it succeeded, it crawled out of the small hole it made and quickly dashed around the ceiling, happy to be in a whole new world.

Seamus thought how he wouldn't mind being the bug at the moment. All the hard work trying to break this seemingly solid barrier between the life he once knew and a new bright open future and how his hard work, for once in his life, was being paid off. Once he finally did the deed, he was free to roam as he pleased and to explore this new life with wide eyes.

He thought about killing the bug, letting it be would only bound to bring more in, but he felt empathy for the little guy and didn't want to end his celebration just yet. So many times the wolf in contemplation was squashed and stepped on right after a hard deed or heavy task that should have earned him at least a self-entitled smidgen of glory.

He looked back at the television and saw the team opposing the white team just score, giving the white team little to no time to celebrate their last feat. It was back-to-back again without any break for the white team.

Paddy looked over at his watch and saw the time, figured the street venders were closing soon and he might be able to pick out the bruised and half-molded fruit and food that was left at the bottom of the carts every day. They were usually cheaper as well as plentiful. He got up and threw on his rag-tag torn up jacket that was almost signature to his appearance. Noticing the piece of paper, still locked between the jaws of his palm, he threw the little bit of trash on the bed behind him. He left the room leaving the paper slightly crumbled on his bed, reading the words "Three days, Holland's Point, twenty-two hundred hours."

*o*

Krystal sat at the table, watching her husband playing with their cub's toy starfighters as the blue-haired youngling ran around making explosion noises and crashes with his mouth. Fox made some fake cry and fell on his back as his son threw his arms in the air shouting the words, "Mission Accomplished!"

Krystal always reminisced about the old days as a mercenary. It was like a disease for a warrior like the husband and wife, to sit back and try to live a civilian life. Fighting and danger was in their blood and they both felt as though sometimes, they could not just bottle it up as they were supposed to.

But in amongst the trance the vixen was in as the plastic toys flew around the room in the hands the two men in her life, she couldn't help but visualize a different scenario. The plastic starfighters turned into real metal ones and the backdrop that was their living room soon went dark with only a few twinkling dots, like small holes punched in a back lit canopy. She could hear the commands arise over the COM channels clear as day.

"Krystal, you ready for the assault?"

She let out an aggressively playful chuckle. "Yes sir."

"Let's move." Fox ordered without hesitation. The team of four zoomed forward, straight into the fray of lasers and shots coming from the station they were assaulting and nearby surrounding satellites. "Falco, evade right. Move into the flank to draw their fire away from the Bullfrog."

"Giving me the dirty work." Falco said emotionlessly as he zoomed off.

"Because I know you can handle it. Krystal, you and I will go straight in to disable their heavy artillery. Slip, try and bust past the line and head for the generator holding up that shield." The team leader commanded.

"You got it." The frog croaked. The remaining three broke formation and headed in their own designated directions.

"Approaching fire zone in 5." They would soon be in range of the heavy defense gunners and Fox held his hand tight on the controls, ready to swing in any direction the moment he saw any flash of red or blue. And suddenly, a hailstorm of lasers and blasts erupted on him and his wingman.

"Oh, shit. Area hot!" Krystal commented.

"You alright?"

"Yeah, just a little surprised on the amount of fire. Not a big deal though." She continued as the two twisted through the empty space like bugs dancing on a lily pad. "I'm getting close to take some of them out. Cover me."

"You've got it." Fox obliged as he swooped down behind the Cloud Runner. Krystal was getting close to the outer shield, if she even brushed it the slightest bit, her ship would go down in an electrical surge of fury as she would lose complete control. But luckily she was not as dumb pilot. She skimmed the area and fired upon some of the outer artillery that lied outside the shield barrier. They couldn't take out all the guns but every little bit could count.

"Pulling out, I think that's all the close support I can give at the moment."

"Understood." The two spoke truly with a sense of duty and mission, putting aside any emotions for each other. At least for the time being. "Slippy, how's it coming over there?"

"Falco's divert most of the fire–"

"You're welcome." He cut in.

"–but there's still some AA, well AS I guess," He let out a small chuckle, "and I'm having trouble maneuvering. This is a bomber, I need an escort."

"Roger. I got it." Fox commanded but had to retract his statement. "Actually, scratch that. Krystal, cover Slippy. I see more bogeys leaving the station's air space, looks like they are mobilizing a second wave. I can swat these flies out of the sky for you all."

"You've got it." Krystal responded through the COMs but then switched to a more personal method of communicating. "Don't have too much fun."

"Oh you know me. Too much work to do." Fox said in his mind to where only Krystal could hear. She smiled at his retort. The two diverged past each other to head to their specific positions.

'Too much work to do.' The vixen thought. A small smile arose on her face as she zoomed to meet the Bullfrog in escort support.

"Taking heavy fire, where the hell are you guys?" Slippy called out.

As if a response to his cry, Krystal flew over to him and threw the Cloud Runner into a spin as she zoomed by to divert some of the fire he was taking. "Sorry Slip. I've got your back now."

"'bout time. The generator's on the other side of that small satellite." Krystal looked down on her scanner and saw a highlighted orb on the other side of the station. "ETA 45 seconds if everything goes smoothly."

"You know with us, that doesn't usually happen." Krystal added jokingly.

"Yeah well you better knock on wood because I don't know how much the Bullfrog can take and I still have a few bombs to drop." The young frog stated with a hint of panic but it was clear he was keeping his composure.

"Don't worry, we'll get it done." She reassured as she plummeted close to the shield again to destroy some heavier turrets that were too large to be contained by the station's shield.

"Almost there." Slippy said more to himself. As they came into view of the satellite, he saw a large cannon-like ship waiting for them. "Shit. See Kyrstal! What did I tell you!"

"I essspected you to find thisss generator eventually but definitely not for at leassst a good while now." Judging by the enthusiasm the voice had on his s's, the fox and frog figured it was some sort of reptile that was standing between them and the generator. "No matter. I'll be killing you sssooner I guesss." Suddenly, the cannon fired, sending a huge blast past the Bullfrog. Krystal was lucky enough to get out of the way in time because without her fast reflexes and the Cloud Runner's evasion skills, she would have been obliterated. But as if the blast wasn't close enough to do any damage, the shockwave sure was. Slippy slightly lost control of his bulky vessel while Krystal quickly recovered and started firing at the enemy.

The shots were reflecting off the enemy with ease. "Shit, how do we hit this guy?"

"Ahaha, nissse shot. At leassst your aim isss good." The reptile mocked the two, seeming to be invincible.

"Seriously, shut up!" Falco called out as the Sky Claw erupted from underneath the enemy vessel, all the while an explosion occurred directly behind the enemy.

"Gah! What the–"

"At leassst hisss back isssafe." Falco retorted to make fun of the enemy as well.

"Slippy, private channel. Go." Krystal called out.

"What is it?" The toad responded.

"Somehow get behind the guy and take out the generator. The explosion from your bombs may do enough damage to take this guy out as well."

"Great idea. I'm on it."

"Falco."

"Yeah Miss Fox?" He said casually.

"I'm ignoring that. Let's show this guy how we do."

The two faster fighters flew past the enemy to get behind him. Taking a while but sure enough, the enemy turned to continue facing the fox and bird. The enemy fired his cannon again but unfortunately for him, the two were expecting this to happen any time now so they maneuvered with ease. At this, Slippy fired as much of a boost as he could manage, taking this time to get to the target while the enemy was distracted. When he was close enough, Krystal moved to the other side of the enemy again. He couldn't face two opponents at once but instead faced between the two. Two free-range cannons mounted on the side of the enemy craft started firing at the two on both sides. Krystal took a hit or two but the Sky Claw was able to move fast enough to get out of the enemy's spray.

"Hey, you alright?" The bird chimed.

"Fine." Krystal responded as she wasted no time getting back to the fight.

"Alright. Let's move clockwise, try and get around him." Falco ordered and the two zoomed off in a clockwise motion around the enemy.

They boosted to try and get there quick and Krystal was able to get a glimpse of the back. She immediately started firing at the obvious weak spot of the enemy. A large energy core was jutting out of the back of the ship probably so that it could easily cool off in the openness of space and not over heat. Damage was shown throughout the enemy as the craft frantically tried to cover his tail.

"Gah, you bassstardsss." The reptile shouted as he launched a set of homing missiles.

Krystal moved away quickly as she was dangerously close to the enemy. Falco was lucky enough to be at such a distance, he starting taking down the missile as they were on the path toward him. "Falco, I need some help." Krystal said, evading nearly all missile as they lined up behind her.

"I'm on it." Falco zoomed over and shot the back few. "Loop it. You should be good."

"Roger." And she performed the task. The missiles began to break formation to catch up with their target but it was too late. She began picking them off one by one.

All the while, Slippy was using the satellite to hide his position from the enemy until he could get a good shot. "Lost visual. Tell me when to strike."

"You got it." Both Krystal and Falco said simultaneously.

"I got more for you twosss." The reptile annoyingly added as he fired his main cannon again, this time taking the two Star Foxes off guard. Aimed, primarily at the Sky Claw, it was heading straight for Falco.

"Oh shit!" But luckily for Falco, his G-diffusers malfunctioned again which caused a fluctuation in his leveling ability and his wing was barely clipped by the cannon. Unfortunately though, he was caught entirely in the shockwave and lost complete control of his spacecraft. The reptile saw this and fired more missiles at the Sky Claw. Krystal moved over and shot them down before they could hit their target. "Damn G-Diffusers! I sweat Slippy I'm going to kill you when we're through with this mission."

"Hey, looks like to me they saved your life so let's just bury our dead and move on. We still have this guy to take care of." Krystal called out.

"Still on standby." Slippy squeezed in.

"Working on it." Falco said a bit angrily.

"Maybe you could use some help?" Fox's voice was heard as an Arwing II seemingly rammed the back side of the enemy with lasers.

"Where do you guysss keep comin from?" The reptile sounded off, a little bit fretted due to the hits he was taking. "And where's the bulky ship at? I don't think I shot him down." He finally caught on to the missing spacecraft.

"Cover's been blown, be advised." Krystal radioed over to Slippy.

"As I've heard." Slip answered back.

Fox kept moving around the enemy trying to get behind him but was having just as much luck as Krystal was earlier before Falco showed up. But the bird and other fox was able to get back into the fight to aid their leader. "Alright, Modified Delta. We'll break and Krystal – flank from the left, Falco – maneuver to get around him since you're the fastest. I'll move in through the right.

"Understood."

The three moved on to try and get behind the enemy. "Slippy, get ready to come in from the rear. We'll set him up for you."

"'bout time, I'm tired of waiting." He complied.

"And we're tired of getting shot at!" Falco butt in.

"Alright, move!" Fox commanded and the three assaulting crafts danced around the enemy so elegantly that with the colors of laser that erupted from the bow of the ships, one would think a light show was going on in the distance. They forcibly made the enemy return to his back toward the satellite and guarding their primary target. The station's generators. "Slippy now!"

The Bullfrog blasted as fast as it could to the other side of the satellite and dropped a Nova Bomb on the generator. He managed to get out of the blast zone just in time as the explosion destroyed the generator, crimpling the now useless satellite and engulfing the enemy's back side core.

"What the–" Was the last heard from the reptile as his craft exploded from the inside out.

"Alright!" Slippy exaggeratedly shouted.

"Great job guys." Fox commended.

"Now that that's over…" Falco added.

"We move into the station." Team lead said, finishing his statement. "Too much work to do." Fox could feel Krystal smile in his head as she sent him the image of her doing so.

'Too much work to do.'

It was the end of the day and Krystal was lying in bed with her husband by her side. He was knocked out of course and it was a good hour or so since the two put their son to bed. Thoughts of previous missions and adventures on the Star Fox team were running through her mind, keeping her from falling asleep. She let out a sigh and turned toward her sleeping husband. She moved her arms over him and pressed her head on his bare back, still thinking. She slowly began to squeeze the fox as if it was a teddy bear and she was a child, scared of what life might bring. Fox didn't seem to notice. He was sound asleep. Krystal forced herself to close her eyes and attempted again to go to sleep, which thankfully, this time her mind complied with her request.

The next day went by as it normally does for the vulpine. He slaved away at work trying to make his money. The office seemed different without the friendly owl there to make the day easy. But as if his life was a game of chess, so many events added up to his current situation. Larry got laid off, they went to the bar to drink their sorrows away, Anput ran into him and gave him a proposition any normal person would start laughing as they turned their back. But why was he so acclimated to take up the offer? The action? The reward? The sense of having a purpose again? He didn't know but all he knew was that in a few hours, he would be standing on the dock of Holland's Point speaking to the strange jackal and her 'friend.'

With the feeling of inevitability and anxiety looming over the Fox's head, time soon ticked by and he was on his way to the dock. His old middleclass car was taking it hard on the rough road to the rendezvous point. But once he got there, he hesitantly got out and looked around. Nothing. "Hello?" He shouted hesitantly. Still nothing.

He began to walk around to investigate. And while he was quite a few paces from his car, he heard a familiar voice, "Glad you could make it."

* * *

><p>Wow, this is taking a long time to write. A little rushed toward the end but I figured if I didn't finish this soon it would never get done. And not only that, I really want to get on with the next part of the chapter (been waiting for that for a while). Updates may be much slower as I am feeling the like fiftieth revision of an actual novel I'm trying to write so I may end up focusing on that but I still wish to complete these.<p>

Read Review and as always ENJOY!


	9. Ch:3 Joker and the Thief: Rendezvous

**Author's Note:**

This story is still on hiatus - I have no idea if I am going to finish it or not but I do have a lot of cool ideas if I were. But the other day I was going through it and really didn't like this chapter. Maybe it was because I was rushing or something or just wanted something to show that people actually read the story (this was before I found out you can see "Traffic Stats" and thought reviews were the only indication that people read the story - To those who was reading it all along while I kept saying no one was reading it, please accept my apologies... I still am learning things about this site). But yeah, I really didn't like the chapter so took it out and redid it. I figured the least I could do was touch it up and make it a bit thicker and more believable.

But again, this is still on hiatus. As of now I am working on Still A Need For Heroes and seeing as that is quite extensive it might be a bit before that gets done. And who knows, maybe after that I will pick this thing up again. Not making any promises though.

* * *

><p><span>Rush<span>

Chapter 3: Joker and the Thief

Part 2: Rendezvous

"Glad you could make it. Can't believe you actually showed up."

"I can't believe this isn't some hoax." Fox replied.

"Well if you weren't too drunk to completely dismiss all of this." The voice said in a soon to be signature sarcasm. "But let's cut the small talk and get down to business." Anput replied, finally revealing herself as she stepped out from the shadows and from behind a stack of crates off to the side. "So you want to rob a bank."

"Well. Not so much. I just want the benefits." He said giving a quirky smile.

Anput gave a small huff before continuing. "Well before we discuss any more, don't go and think you are something special and that you have us by the haunches because we _need you oh so badly_." Again, her sarcasm was clear as day.

"Why would I think that?" Fox said, feeling a little attacked.

"Because there are some like you that would try and take advantage of the opportunity we are presenting you." She responded, turning her back to him as she began walking as if she was pacing back and forth. Whatever part she was trying to play, she was playing it well as she picked up some old gizmo lying on a crate and fiddled with it, acting completely disinterested in the slightly older fox. "You have to realize if you decide to roll with us, you are in it for the long run." She put down the contraption and turned her attention toward him, emphasizing the seriousness of the topic she was about to cover. "Whatever dangers exist, you cannot skip out on them and whatever the plan calls for you have to oblige. You cannot get the 'easy' way out and you cannot, DEFINITALY not, try to betray us."

"You act as if I don't have mercenary on my resume; like I haven't been part of a coalition before. Not only that, but I'm a little insulted you think I am even capable of those things; desertion, betrayal, skimping out on duty or breaking down in the face of danger. Who do you think I am?" He retorted crossing his arms, letting his expression duplicate his feeling toward her words.

She looked back at him through the sides of her eyes and her head only slightly cocked toward him with an almost seductive grin. "Consider it the 'Terms and Agreements.'"

"So what exactly are the 'Terms and Agreements'? What exactly is the reason you came to me? Because I'm not going to believe you if you say you felt sympathy for some drunk in a bar." The animal asked pretty bluntly.

"We need your leadership; your ability to think on the spot and get through a pinch without panic. We've done jobs before but this is different. We are talking about the most secure vault on the planet, designed by the slimy froggy friend of yours. Not only that, there is something in that vault that is of particular value to us. This heist will take much planning and articulation to pull off. Figured only a true architect should suffice."

"Yeah? And why not some other tactical ace?" Fox continued to punch her with question after question, only now being able to do so since their late night encounter at the bar three nights ago.

The jackal smiled. "Heh, we've been watching you for quite some time." Fox cocked an eyebrow. "We have been scouting out others but you seemed ideal. We know you've been in a bit when it comes to financial troubles. Though, I don't know why you're complaining. It's not like you had to live on the streets for a good while." She said, changing the tone slightly regarding the last part.

"Yeah well, the way things are going that won't be long." He added.

"Anyway. You have exposed yourself to be the top pick amongst our recruits."

"And if I've 'exposed' so much to you?" He became a little curious, egging the jackal to finish his statement.

Another little giggle. "Well if you must know, you are desperate. You need this just as much as we do. You are underpaid at work despite practically running the company all on your own for a period of a few weeks not too long ago. Debt has taken its toll on you and your depleting reservoir of fund from your previous profession. And you are not too shy about getting so engrossed in your own dealings that you often forget some fatherly and even _husbandly_ duties." Anput smiled playfully.

Fox let out a low growl at the jackal. "So you've been watching my wife and son too?" He snarled behind gritted teeth, beginning to get a little defensive.

"Oh no, we are respectable people. We won't dig into your personal life. It's just that sometimes your personal life follows you." She said matter-of-factly. "Well, there was this one time your wife was bumped into but that was coincidence. She's got a keen head on her shoulders might I add." She concluded, smiling at the vulpine before suddenly dropping the smile and frisky attitude, adopting a sterner one. She raised her paw and started staring at her nails, playing the non-interested persona again. "Besides. All we needed was that statement in the bar. Ironically enough it was exactly what we were planning so since you already suggested robbing a bank, why take further actions to convince you I figured."

"You'd even take a drunkard's words?"

"Hey, drunk words are sober thoughts. We figured all you needed was a little invitation and you would come along nicely. Was I wrong?"

"You keep saying 'we.' Am I going to meet your friend or are you just insane?" As if by cue from his statement, Fox sensed another presence in the area. His ears twitched as he tried to listen to the surprisingly silent movements.

"I can tell you still have those warrior instincts. That will come in handy." A new voice echoed through the warehouse. Fox stood stationary, trying to spot any movements from his peripheral vision or hear the position of the origin of the voice. "Don't be alarmed, I'm not going to harm you. And you might as well stop trying to scope me out. I have been monitoring your conversation with my assistant for a while now."

"Then why not show yourself." Fox said steadily.

"Oh I intend to." Fox jolted around to see the red and black hedgehog standing right behind him. He was completely thrown off of his speed and surreptitious maneuverability. He was about to go into defense mode but quickly calmed himself. "My name is Shadow."

"Fitting." The vulpine snarled.

"No need to get hasty. I requested you remember? You heard what Anput said. We are here to request help from you. And by you showing up this evening, you have shown us you are interested."

"Yeah? And how do you know I didn't call in the police or have some plant somewhere?" Fox said, testing the peculiar creature in front of him.

"Says the one who just got sneaked up on." Anput cynically added as she took the back seat on the dialog now that Shadow stepped in.

Shadow cocked his head toward her but still directed his speech to Fox. "Trust me, I know." He resumed his normal approach and began pacing around with his hands behind his back. "Now, we've gone over essentially the ground rules for this operation but we have not received your final word." He extended his hand to his possible new business partner but was a little taken back when the two did not shake after a short while.

"I'm going to need more."

"More?" Shadow was set back a bit.

"More information. This is a bank robbery. Of the Hilltop. One of probably the most esteemed and high-end bank on the planet. Getting caught would probably end up destroying whatever life I had to look forward too, and if not that I'd probably get taken to the 'back room' for the bank's own form of punishment. This is not something to simply agree to do. I'm going to need some for convincing." Fox explained.

"Very well. What are you looking for."

"A plan of action, an outline for what to expect, a contingency plan for whatever might and probably will go wrong, and anything else that would convince me that this is not a joke, that you are serious heisters and not trying to get me to do your dirty work because of my name. For all I know, you could be just two pups trying to make a quick buck." He didn't actually believe that last statement, he could tell especially from Shadow that they knew what they were doing, but he still needed reassurance.

"We have had for quite a while in our possession, the floor plan of the Hilltop, schematics to their security structure and electrical system, and names and times of all current employees and normal shift changes." Anput cut in to explain.

"Then don't you have everything you need?"

"Not exactly. The vault–" Shadow began to state before getting cut off.

"Yeah yeah yeah, it was designed by Slippy. And that is relevant how?"

"Part of the plan. Before we can get into the details of the coup, we are going to need those designs."

"And you are going to need me to get them I assume." The vulpine continued.

"Yes and no." The hedgehog said abruptly. "We need your help with certain details on how to obtain them, but we will be the ones to retrieve them."

"Uh huh."

"The design to the vault is the final piece to the puzzle. We need to find out how to crack it in order for all this to work. We have dealt with getting out of tight spots numerous times," Anput let a grin crack at her business partner's statement. "but I apologize that is all I can tell you about how we plan to get out of sticky situations. Unless of course you want to stand there for a few months to go over all the planning and contingencies we have already made."

"If you have everything already mapped out, why exactly do you need my 'leadership' skills." Fox said getting more and more suspicious with every statement from the strange counterparts.

"Simple. The X-Factor." The three stood momentarily in silence. He then continued. "For everything there is a variable that no one can determine; an element that no one can predict which has to be dealt with expertise and completely on the spot. In order for this to work as smoothly as I'd like, I would feel much more comfortable having someone like you on the team." Shadow explained.

"And the team consists of us?"

"Currently, yes."

"We are in need of a tech guy. You know, someone to stay in the van and tell us they are on to us or something like that." Anput again showed her contribution to the rendezvous.

"So what would the split look like?" Fox asked, expecting to have them say they would take an estranged portion. But he was surprised at Shadow's answer.

"All even. We split the pot evenly. If everyone does their part, everyone gets their share."

At this Fox was nearly convinced. He still ran it through his mind but something was pulling him to do this. The way the opportunity arose was mighty sketchy, but they seemed like they knew what they were doing. He needed the money and would love the adventure and danger but still wasn't sure. He'd have to keep it from Krystal which could or could not be something easily done. It all depended on how well he could keep a poker face, and poker mind while dealing with his wife.

"Well?" Shadow extended his hand again. Anput, in the background, leaned on one leg while bending the other's knee and crossing her arms across her chest with a face that beckoned for him to make a decision.

But again, something was pulling him to agree. Something told him that this was what he should do and that it would all work out if he shook the hedgehog's hand. Hesitantly, he extended his arm and let his paw firmly grip the individual's hand and gave it a confident business shake. "You have a deal."

Shadow quirked a grin. "Outstanding." But suddenly there was a clank off in the distance.

"Shit." Anput said as she quickly moved into action, moving behind some crates to investigate.

"What was that?" Fox asked, figuring the two would have an explanation. But Anput's retort did not comfort him at all.

Shadow looked around briefly then turned on Fox. He grabbed him by the collar. "You said you came alone." He snarled.

Fox was unaffected by the threat however. "You said you knew I did." The two stared at each other waiting for either one to back down or to make another move but neither did.

Shadow saw he wasn't lying and released his grip. He turned around in the direction of the sound and shouted, "Reveal yourself! You are prying on private matters."

"No need Shades. I got him." Anput said as she dragged a roughed up wolf into the scene.

"Ah, wuld ya let me go already? I ain't done no harm at-tall." The lupine stated as he was thrown down by the jackal.

"Shut up handsome."

"State your business." Shadow demanded.

"Ah… Ah just…." He said a little shaky. He looked up at Shadow, obviously being the ringleader, and saw only mere interest. "Ah want in."

"In?"

"Yes. I can contribute to the sting and I need the money." The wolf stood up and dusted himself off.

"How did you even hear of this meeting?" Anput barked.

"Wait, you're the loud mouth from the bar that night!" Fox said realizing where he met the accented creature before. Shadow shot a glare over to Anput but she tossed her shoulders to her neck, not knowing who the guy was or how he heard of the rendezvous.

"That's right I was. I overheard these two's conversation then picked up this strip after that bloke tossed it." He clarified to Shadow. He pulled out a small piece of paper with Anput's original message written on it, 'Three days, Holland's Point, twenty-two hundred hours.'

Shadow turned to Anput with despise. "We'll talk later." He then turned his direction to the wolf. "And what makes you think we need you?"

"Well I heard you only have tree of yer trying to rob an entire bank." He said.

"And?"

"And that doesn't sound like much. Besides, I can do whatever you need me to do. I'll be as loyal to you till we get out of there with the sacks. After that, you won't have to deal with me."

There was a long pause between all parties. Shadow looked over at Anput but her expression said she was completely indifferent. He didn't know why he was considering accepting his plea. He was not the kind of person to generously and blindly accept people into his operations. But an extra hand could prove helpful.

"If yar want, I will leave now and never speak a ward of this. Yer have my word." The wolf stated. "Just saw an opportunity and figured I'd give it a shot."

Shadow didn't give his statement the slightest acknowledgement. "What can you do?"

"What?"

"I asked you. What can you do?" The hedgehog's condescending tone didn't really help in making the outside wolf feel a bit uneasy.

"Er, well I got fight." It was the first thing on his mind.

Shadow turned around about ready to dismiss the guy. "I think you've watched too many movies. There isn't much room for brawling."

"I think you misunderstood." Paddy snapped back with a surprising amount of confidence. Much more than what was show mere seconds ago. This caught Shadow's interest?

"Oh?" He turned back to face him. "How so?"

"Dark 'n ominous guy like you should know what I'm talking about eh?"

In the blink of an eye, Shadow was on the wolf and threw a right hook right into his face. "'Got fight' huh? At first I didn't think a grungy kid like you knew what that meant."

The wolf was taken off guard and nearly collapsed from the blow. Paddy staggered a bit and regained his footing just before wiping the small rivulet of blood leaking from his mouth. "You take me for a glunterpeck?"

Shadow threw another fist into the wolf's gut. "I have no idea what that means."

By this hit, Seamus fell to his knees clenching his stomach as the wind escaped his lungs. His assailant didn't see the need to ease up on him even as he was down wheezing for air. He drew back his arm to give another punch to the face but Seamus saw it coming. He tried to dismiss the pain he was in and quickly ducked to avoid another blow. In return he charged up from his knees and threw his body into Shadow's and continued to push him back a few feet all the while letting out some kind of warrior cry.

Fox stood petrified as the audience to the erupting scene. He was completely lost at what was going on but still couldn't get over the fact of how fast Shadow moved up on Paddy in the initial hit. Anput wasn't too shocked as Fox was as she hasn't moved from her position leaned up on a crate. She just blankly watched as if it was a sport.

Meanwhile Seamus pushed Shadow a bit more to disjoin their bodies and tried to bring up an uppercut to the hedgehog's face. The cool and collected Shadow just slipped to the left and dodged the punch while responding with left hook to meet the wolf's unguarded face. Unlike the first hit, Seamus went down after this one. He quickly got on all fours and pushed his battered body off the ground. The beating he was enduring almost seemed to increase his weight as even getting back up was a struggle. But nonetheless, he was determined to get up and get up he did.

"That all ye got?" He sputtered with a mouthful of blood.

"Not at all." Shadow said as he quickly spun and gave a hard kick to the wolf's side. He let out a shriek of pain and stumbled again, making sure he would not go down again. He let out another adrenaline filled shout as he charged the hedgehog but every throw of his fists in the black and red figure's direction was fruitless as Shadow moved around them with ease. It was as if he was toying with the lupine.

Once he felt the time was right, Shadow caught one of his fists in his own open palm just before it was about to hit his face. He let out a small smile and sent his other hand into the already sensitive gut of his foe. Seamus coughed which sent some of the pooled up blood in his mouth onto the ground around the two fighters. "Had enough?"

The wolf gave another yet lighter cough. "I'm still awake ain't I?" He let out as much of a sneer as he could manage.

"Very well." The hedgehog then grabbed the wolf's head and sent his knee crashing into his skull. Once Paddy's head bounced back, it was already prevalent the gash on his forehead made from the hit.

"Damn Shadow! The guy even said he'd leave!" Fox finally shouted out about ready to involve himself as well.

"Trust me. He wanted this." Shadow answered back softly.

Fox was grinding his teeth together in anger at the senseless beating and instinctively reached down to his hip for his blaster but realized it wasn't there. Even in retirement, his muscle memory remained intact in instances of peril.

Anput saw this. "I wouldn't suggest trying anything. Shadow's not really the one you'd want to cross. Besides, you already shook his hand didn't you?" Her grin was just as cutting as her attitude as she moved her arms from being crossed over her chest to behind her head like a headrest. "Might as well just enjoy the show."

Seamus fell back down to his side, aching as his body was bruised and battered. Shadow hadn't even seemed to break a sweat. In the muggy warehouse, even his pits on his dark green button-up remained dry. The wolf tried to get up but couldn't. His vision was blurry and the world around him was spinning violently. He tried again but stumbled back to the ground. He managed to make out Shadow approaching him. "Stop trying. You've had enough." But the statement didn't register for the shaken lad. In a last ditch effort, Seamus stood up and wildly threw a fist into the air. In his current state, he couldn't designate a specific target for the punch but maybe that was just what he needed. In the random movement of his flailing and most likely concussion controlled arm, he managed to strike a single blow on Shadow's check. Shadow's head turned in recoil to the hit and if his fur wasn't so dark you could probably see the bit of red that occurred on his skin from it. But in Paddy's state, the hit was not very strong and didn't do much damage. In fact other than the simple recoil it didn't seem to faze the hedgehog. All he did was let out a small smile.

"Anput, get some kind of medical supplies." The smile never left the hedgehog's face.

…

After a good few minutes of recuperation, Seamus sat propped up against some crate as Anput managed his wounds. She continued to replace the gauze pads that were soaking up the blood in his mouth. Bandages across his forehead were already turning red.

Fox stood by, taking Anput's previous advice and decided to stay out of the affair. But soon Shadow spoke out to the wolf after the long drawn out silence of his recovery.

"So kid, you said you wanted in?"

"Still do." He slurred with the gauze pads crammed in his mouth.

Shadow moved over to the resting fellow and crouched down to his level. He stared deeply into his eyes to try and read them. "You heard everything Anput said before I revealed myself?"

"I did."

"And you understand this situation?"

"I do." He answered pretty quickly, knowing now where this was going. Shadow took a few more minutes to look into the young man's eyes.

As if he found what he was looking for he finally spoke out. "Courage, strength, persistance, loyalty… You sure do got fight kid." He stood up and began to move away from the injured creature. "Do not disappoint. You will do your job and you will do it well. I would have no regrets throwing you out on the street in the middle of our scheme if you fail me, or even show signs of weakness." The dark hedgehog sternly laid out in a mighty intimidating fashion.

The lupine's face would have shone with excitement and promise if it didn't already closely resemble a pulp. "Ah'll do my part." He managed to sputter.

"What's your name kid?"

"Seamus." He answered. "But some call me Paddy."

Anput let out a small cackle. "Kfsh, Paddy." She mumbled.

"Very well then, it's settled. This will be our normal meeting place. I have rented out this warehouse for the next few months. We will be doing all our planning here and all our field work practice here as well. Since you two still have jobs and personas to keep, we will meet at your convenience. This is the real deal here so do not screw up. Do not lead anyone on and act as if every meeting we have never happened. You see one of us on the street, you ignore us. You have someone asking you about something, make something up. Something believable. The success of the entire operation rests in how well we perform in and out of the job. You got that?"

"More than you know." Fox answered.

"Ah do." Paddy replied.

"Good."


End file.
